Prince
by neon
Summary: Chapter Eight on, R rating...Greg/Orig Char (Marah) and Nick/Orig Char (Neleh). CSI/As The World Turns. --Chapter 11 Up-- *removed the theme song thing...*
1. Introduction: Dreams and Turmoil

****

Explanation: _Everything has to be perfect in order for me to write a good story. Over the past year, I've only finished one, and because of ff.net's infinite blahness *please don't delete me because of that...LOL* it got deleted. So, I'm just gonna keep trying until I get it right. Sorry you guys. _**  
Author's Note:** _Here's the deal; I'm gonna skip over the fancy shmantzy synopsis that I usually do, and just give you something basic at the beginning of each chapter. Because if I do a synopsis, I usually feel that I have to follow it, even after I warn you that I don't. Just something about me. By the way...I'm gonna use a couple ideas from old fanfics that I've written. Only the ones I really like, though. And again, I'm changing Nick's age. And, I'm also replacing Cath with Harmony.  
_**Story Title:** Complete Me, Like A Melody – _I got this title for a Christina Aguilera song._   
**SHORT...VERY SHORT Summary:** _A Greg/Original Character and Nick/Original Character fic. With a couple more characters, as usual._  
**Disclaimer:** Anything that belongs to any show on TV doesn't belong to me. Point blank.

~~

__

Paul smiled at her, showing all his teeth. "Well, sis...dad is actually gone! He can't harm me, you, mom, or anyone else anymore..."

Marah Ryan leaned her head against the headrest of her older brother's Chevy Monte Carlo. "It seemed too easy, Paul...I don't think dad would just leave town..." she told Paul, a worried look forming on her face.

"What do you mean? The note is right here, Marah! Dad is GONE! We defeated the infamous James Stenbeck! Come on! Give yourself a little credit!" Paul reassured her. "You did most of the dirty work..."

As soon as those words had escaped Paul's lips, the window came crashing in, and Paul was thrown out of the window, replaced by James. "Daddy's home!" he sneered, approaching his daughter.

*

"JAMES...get away from me!" Marah shot up, cold sweat pouring down her face. "A dream...it was a dream...damn it...I have to call Paul..." she picked up the phone. "What's his number?" she scrambled through her memory bank on her cell phone. "Paul Ryan...here we go..." she pushed the send button, still hearing the dream buzzing around in her head.

Paul answered the phone, sounding half-dead. "Hello?" he groaned.

"Paul?" Rosana was relieved to hear her older brother's voice. "Are you ok?"

"I'd be a lot better if people didn't call me at three in the morning..." Paul stared at the clock. "Damn, Marah, what is it?"

She looked at the clock and saw that it was six a.m. "Three? Oh yeah...time change...I'm so sorry, Paul..." she had recently moved from Oakdale, Illinois to a small house in Las Vegas, Nevada with her friends, Neleh Snyder, Harmony Munson, Amaya McKinnen, and Raina Casnov. Harmony (who was also her half-sister, through her mother Barbara, who had been married to detective Hal Munson, then divorced him and got remarried to Paul and Marah's father, James), Neleh and Marah were pretty much attached at the hip. "I'll have to keep that in mind..."

Paul sighed. "What's up, Marah?" he asked. "Another James dream?"

"Is that Marah?" Paul's fiancée, Rose DiAngelo rolled over and looked at Paul.

"Yeah, the third dream this week...did I wake Rose up too?" Marah sighed. 

"Yeah, it's Marah, and yes, you woke Rose up..." Paul directed to both women he was talking to.

"Oh...tell her hi!" Rose smiled, now awake for the morning.

"Rose says hi..." Paul laughed at his chipper wife. "Leave it to Rose to be wide awake at three a.m."

"Hey, Rose..." Marah laughed. 

Paul waved at Rose, signifying that Marah had said hello.

"As I was saying, though, about James...I'm hoping that once I join the CSI team, I can help put him where he belongs..." Marah tucked a stray piece of sandy-blonde hair behind her left ear, holding the phone to her right.

"And do it legally..." Paul scowled, remembering all the events of the past year, in which a battle ensued between James against Marah and Paul. There were incidences of kidnapping, prison, murder, threats, all of which from James. Marah and Paul hadn't nearly all the experience in such matters as James did. "We got some of James in us, sis..."

"Please never speak to me like that again, Paul. I don't want any of James or Barbara in me..." Marah glared at the wall, imagining it was her brother. "Anyway, Paul...I'll let you and Rose get back to...whatever it was you were doing..."

"Sleeping?" Paul asked, with a laugh. "See you later, sis..."

"Love ya, Paulie..." Marah stated, hanging up the phone.

Neleh stirred sitting in the bed across the room from Marah. "Marah! Be quiet, man! We both should be sleeping for work tomorrow!"

"Sorry...I had another dream about James, and I had to call Paul..." Marah sighed. "It was the one where James throws him out the car window, then goes to attack me..."

"Dang, girl...you need to calm it. He's not coming back...he's all the way across the country in jail..." Harmony heard Neleh and Marah stirring. 

"For all we know, Har...he could be back in Oakdale...what if he's going for Paul or something..." Marah glared at her best friend.

" Marah, if you treat your husband half as well as you treat your brother, damn, men are gonna be lining up for miles to get you!" Neleh poked fun at Marah.

Marah seemed unamused. "Paul and I had only each other when we were little. James left when we were born, to go be a psycho, or whatever he does, and Barbara was too wrapped up in trying not to let James near us...so, we really had no mother or father. Paul was my best friend, my mentor, everything..." she grinned. "If James were to touch him, I swear it..."

Neleh hadn't had the best life either. She wanted to escape Oakdale because her younger half-brother, Aaron Snyder, had returned, and was ruining everything she'd ever worked for. He'd come to Oakdale with a police record the size of Alcatraz, and gotten all the attention of her father, Holden. She was fed up with everything, and decided to leave. She, Harmony and Marah all got jobs in Las Vegas' top CSI lab: she and Harmony as investigators and Marah as a lab tech. They thought their lives were about to do complete one-eighties. But, in actuality, they were only going to get more hectic.

*

Greg Sanders sat in the DNA lab, trying to keep his mind from his life. He was numb with pain. His dreams, like Marah's, were consumed by the past, so he'd basically given up sleeping. He had to, in order to be happy and cheery around his friends at work. Or, his friend at work, should he say. He and a coworker, Nick Stokes had become very close friends, and he had told Nick all about his dark and dismal past. The only other living being to know about that was Greg.

__

What is with this sample? He asked himself, tapping briskly on the keys of a Compaq computer, and trying to control his brain. _Ok, I've run the results through CODIS about two thousand times...and nothing. Maybe I'll try another database...missing persons..._he thought, typing the words in.

"Hey, Greggo, what's up with the Valerie Milano case?" Nick asked, poking his head into the room. "Anything new?"

Greg jumped at the sound of his friend's voice. "Dude, man! Don't scare me like that! No, nothing new. I scanned CODIS about two million times, too. I was about to check the missing person's database..."

"Why would she be in the missing persons if she's dead, man..." Nick shook his head, exiting the room.

"Never know..." Greg grinned, seeing the name 'Milano, Valerie C.' pop up on the screen. "Ahem, Nick..."

Nick peered back to see Greg gloating at his discovery. "Valerie Milano...missing for three weeks..." Greg rubbed it in.

"Damn you..." Nick sneered. "Gimme the info to take to Griss..." he left the room, watching Greg still grinning. Nick's life wasn't without its turmoil. He was tired. Grissom worked him to the bone, and for the same amount of pay as anyone else. He'd developed a crush on Sara, who was head over heels for Grissom, and Grissom for Sara. Nick was one step from quitting, but something inside him told him to stay. Just a little longer. He could handle it. _Come on, Nick...you can do this. You're emotionally stronger than anyone you know, excepting maybe Greg...but I don't think there is anyone whose emotionally stronger than him. Just a little longer...something's gonna give. It's gotta._


	2. Chapter One: Something Kinda Funny Going...

****

Chapter Rating: _PG13_  
**Chapter Title:** Something Kinda Funny Going On  
**AN:** _Usually when I get beyond the intro...I'm all good. But, a poll for my readers...which criminal should I bring back? Paul Millander or Nigel Crane...or both maybe? Review me with your thoughts...I have a plan, I just need an accomplice for the criminal. Enjoy..._

~~

"And once again, Greggo is left alone at six thirty in the morning, probably to get called again at eight or so. Maybe I should go home, and process the fact that I have two hours to sleep, rather than the usual fifteen minutes..." he then laughed at himself. "Sleep? Now that's a luxury you can't afford...with the dreams you've been having? No way...I think sleep will be the last thing from my mind tonight..." he sat down in his crappy little blue Ford Focus. "Everyone _else_ gets a beastly new Tahoe, but _good 'ol Greggo_ gets his little car that he's had for God knows how long...and he doesn't even get paid enough to buy a new car!" he started the car, and Slipknot came blaring out of the speakers. "Am I even in the mood for music tonight? Not really..." he turned the volume knob on the radio all the way down, and pulled out of the parking lot. As soon as he turned the corner, though, he was met by a huge shadow. He thought he was going to hit whatever it was, so he swerved, and slammed on the breaks, almost hitting a telephone pole. "Damn!" he complained. "What was that?" He looked back to see if it was still there. It wasn't so, he sighed, putting the car into reverse, and backing away from the telephone pole, then putting it into drive, and driving away. "You're probably just tired..."

After the initial shock from the close call had worn off, Greg went back to moping and complaining. If there was one thing that Greg Sanders could always do, it was complain. "And who gets Sara? Grissom as usual. Nick and I both like her, and we're both pretty amiable guys...not to sound gay or anything. But man, Grissom? He's about three times her age...ok...so, only about her age and a half...but still!" Greg didn't even know or care who he was talking to. All he knew was that he was talking. Yet another shadow. Another swerve, and almost hitting a tree this time. "What the hell is going on here?" Greg asked, not wanting to step out of his car. "You're just tired. About five nights without sleep will do that to a guy..." he nodded and laughed to himself. "You'll be fine..." he backed away from the tree, and finished the journey home.

Arriving at home, he saw that he actually had a new message on his answering machine. "Wonder who that could be..." he pushed the playback button, as he unzipped his sweatshirt, and threw it on the coat hanger, being too tired to do much more.

Nick's voice came through the machine. "Damn it, you're not home...I had the weirdest thing happen to me. On my way home, I almost crashed into two...well, two of something..." he sounded panicked. "Call me, dude...unless you get home at six thirty again...then wait until whenever you wake up. If you sleep that is...see ya."

"Just for that..." Greg picked up the phone, and dialed Nick's number. "I'll call you!"

Nick grumbled and picked the phone up. "Hello?" he groaned.

"Nick?" Greg asked, with a slight snicker.

"Greggo! I told you **not** to call at six thirty!" Nick complained. "Damn you!"

"Hey...it's about that answering machine message..." Greg nodded, a little freaked out.

"Oh, yeah...what about it?" Nick asked, looking at the wall.

"Same thing happened to me...I almost hit a telephone pole and a tree..." Greg explained, worried that the same thing had happened to Nick.

"Really? Warrick and Griss, too..." Nick was beginning to worry.

"Ok, whoa...this is kinda..." Greg shook his head. "Not Sara?"

"No, not Sara...maybe it's her trying to trick us..." Nick sounded hopeful.

Greg shook his head. "That's not very Sara..." he discarded Nick's idea.

"That's true...you should get some sleep, man...you sound like you need it..." Nick told Greg, knowing of his sleep deprivation problem.

"Maybe I will..." Greg shrugged. "I'll see ya tomorrow, Nicky..." he told Nick.

"See ya, Greggo..." Nick hung up the phone. Now he was up. He wasn't tired in the least. Worry overcame him. _Maybe it's...no way! He couldn't...no, Nick you're losing it..._he told himself, shoving the blankets from his body, and going into the bathroom. _Just get up, live your life and get over it. That's not gonna happen, and you know it. I wonder what Griss has in store for me today..._

Now freshly showered, Nick felt a little better. He sat on the couch, tying his shoes, and watching some lame 'your mother is my uncle's cousin's sister's aunt' talk show. Ricki Lake, he assumed. _How can women watch this crap? _He asked, quickly changing the channel to CNN. _Griss has we work whipped...even when I'm not there...I'm watching the news to look for anything! Damn him!_ He stood up, and went to the kitchen, taking the coffeepot out of the coffeemaker. "Wake up time..." he poured himself a glass, added some milk and sugar and took a sip. "And now, we leave..."

He walked down to his Chevy Tahoe, with a semi-concerned look on his face. "No shadow jumpers, got it..." he shouted to his surroundings. "This car may be great, but dang...I dunno how much it can handle..." he shook his head at his triviality and got into the car, slamming the door almost on his leg. "Smooth move, man..." he sighed. "Ah, a day in the life of Nick Stokes..." he turned on the radio, hearing 'Symphony of Epiphanies' by Pekinpah, and started softly singing. "Na, na, na, na, na, na, na calling, calling..." he grinned, as he passed Greg's house, seeing him leaving already. "GREGGO!" he stopped and rolled down his window.

Greg jumped almost a mile, and sighed. "Damn, Nick...give me a heart-attack!" he complained.

"Skittish today? Race ya to work..." Nick revved the engine of his SUV and grinned.

"Right, and lose?" Greg shook his head. "See you there, Nick..."

"Come on, not up for a little challenge?" Nick teased Greg.

"I didn't sleep, and I'm afraid I'll crash into everything that gets in my way...so..." Greg explained with a little laugh. "Talk to you at work..."

"If you're that tired, do you want a ride?" Nick asked, shrugging his shoulders.

"Are you sure? Because I really don't trust myself driving..." Greg shook his head. "I'm like, half asleep as it is..."

"Come on...you can take a nap in the break room until Griss gets there..." Nick nodded.

"Thanks, man..." Greg crossed the street, and entered Nick's car. "You're a lifesaver...literally..."

"You look like Pacino in _Insomnia_ so I figure, I'll do the world a favor..." Nick laughed as Greg shut the door.

*

Marah was singing a Hoobastank song as she ran a brush through her long sandy-blonde hair. "Even though I'm far, I'm close to you within..." she stopped singing, and looked to her right, seeing Amaya tapping her foot. 

"Listen, Miss CSI," Amaya complained. "You need to stop leaving your clothes strewn around the bathroom! I slipped and fell onto the floor, over a pair of unmentionables..." she narrowed her eyes.

"Sorry...I just...ooh...that's my cell, I have to get that..." she grabbed her phone, and looked to see who the call was from. "Paul? Ok..." she pushed the 'send' button and tilted her head in curiosity. "Paul?"

"I had a James dream too..." Paul sounded angry. "He had you and Rose, and was threatening to send you to some foreign country..." he sighed. "And I was being held back by some two guys that I don't know..."

Marah felt terrible. Right now, if she were back in Oakdale, she and Paul would be hugging and showing each other that they'll always be there, but all she could do was say, "You know what, Harmony's probably right, though, Paul..."

"What'd she say?" Paul asked, sitting down.

"She said that James is probably still halfway across the country in prison, and that we're getting ourselves worked up for nothing..." Marah was trying to convince herself of this, for Paul's sake.

"Marah, have I ever told you that the only reason I fell for Rose is because she reminded me so much of you?" he asked, with a smirk.

"Don't let Rose hear that..." Marah smiled. "Call me later if you need anything, ok?"

"Ok..." Paul nodded. "Love ya sis..."

"You too, Paulie..." she nodded and hung up the phone.

Neleh entered the room. "Hey, Marah...can I borrow this shirt?" she held up a black t-shirt of Marah's that she had always loved.

"Be my guest..." Marah nodded, and sighed.

"What's wrong?" Neleh sat beside her, and shoved her with her shoulder.

"Paul had a James dream, too...if you ask me, this seems all too weird..." Marah shrugged.

"You and Paul both had traumatic experiences involving James...what can you expect? He caused us all a lot of stress, even Harmony and I..." Marah nodded. "Remember? He took our Aunt Carly captive, too."

"Must you remind me of these things? Paulie says we have some of James in us, and I never, ever wanna do that to anyone I know..." Marah sighed, shaking her head.

"It was mainly your mother..." Neleh tried to comfort Marah, only making matters far worse.

"So, really, there's no escaping the hideous Stenbeck genes..." Marah wanted to cry. "I hate James, I really do..."

"You know," Neleh put her head on her best friend's shoulder, as Harmony walked into the room. "We're all gonna be CSI's, and we can take James down if he ever comes back to the US..."

Harmony sighed. "James talk again?" she asked. "That guy haunts everything we do..."

"Oh, did I tell you guys that Barbara wants to visit us here?" Marah said in a singsong voice. "I told her the only way she'd ever get near me again was if Paul was there, too..."

"Marah, she's your mom..." Harmony explained. "Give her a break...she did give birth to you..."

"Oh, must you remind me of these things?" Marah fell to the bed. "Oakdale, Illinois is the most disturbing city in the USA!"

"Even worse than..." Neleh began.

"Yes, even worse than Hollywood," Marah nodded, knowing what Neleh was going to say.

~~

****

AN: _So...what do you think? I need to know these things, people. Also, don't forget to tell me which criminal I should bring back. Nigel Crane, Paul Millander or both? Some of you may already know what I'm gonna do with him. Anyway, ciao for now!_


	3. Chapter Two: How Long

****

Chapter Rating: _Probably PG, but I'm gonna sayPG13, just to be safe._  
**Chapter Title:** How Long – _Inspired by a Dream song...I think what I'm gonna do is put my chapter titles into song titles, like I did with a couple old stories. The only way I won't is if I can't find one to use._  
**AN:** _The poll for my readers continues...which criminal should I bring back? Paul Millander, Nigel Crane or maybe even both? Review me with your thoughts...I have a plan, I just need an accomplice for the criminal. So far, one person wants to see Nigel, and one person wants to see Paul, while one wants to see both. Hmmm...LOL, Enjoy..._

~~

Marah, Harmony and Neleh walked into the Las Vegas Crime Lab, each with a look of equal apprehension on their faces. Sure, this was what they wanted to do, but the place looked like something out of a horror movie. The halls were sort of narrow, and very gently lit, with florescent lights, which gave it an eerie effect. "We're supposed to find someone named Gil Grissom..." Marah looked around.

"Gil Grissom...what the hell kind of name is that?" Harmony asked. "Damn..."

"That would be the name of our new boss..." Neleh flashed Harmony a glance, telling her in fewer words to shut up. 

"Oh...uh...right..." Harmony glanced down the hall. "Well, we're not gonna find this guy just standing here, are we?" she shook her head at her friends. "Let's get a move on, chiclets..."

"Chiclets? Is Alison rubbing off on you? Thank God we got you outta Oakdale while it was still safe..." Marah flashed Harmony a concerned glance, referring to Harmony's step-sister, Alison Stewart, a rebellious seventeen-year-old, with a hell of an attitude.

"Alison thrives on causing trouble...that's not me...I just thrive on making people so irritated that they wanna burst. But they can't burst at me, because I'm too cute!" Harmony smiled at Marah, knowing this would get on her nerves.

"Heh...heh-heh..." Marah rolled her eyes, and glanced at Neleh, who was stopped before a room. 

"Ahem, guys...Gil Grissom's office is right here...maybe if you were actually looking, and not battling the stupidity of Alison, you'd have seen that..." Neleh scoffed, and knocked on the door.

"Come on in..." a man's voice, sounding sort of deep and a little scratchy, came out of the room. "I've been waiting for you three...I'm Warrick Brown."

"Marah Ryan..." Rosana nodded a hello.

Neleh shook Warrick's hand. "Neleh Snyder." 

Harmony mumbled, "Harmony Munson..." and just stared at Warrick.

"I'm supposed to show you around...Grissom's office looks like something off the Discovery Channel, shall we go somewhere with a little less sci-fi freakiness?"

Marah looked around the room. Dead bugs and freaky leaves covered the walls. _Someone needs a hobby..._she thought. _Unless his hobby IS bugs and stuff...ew, now that's just freaky._ "Let's..." she nodded.

For the first time that day, Harmony was absolutely silent. It took Neleh's dragging her out of the room, to actually get her to move. "Har, let's follow the nice man, now..." Neleh cleared her throat.

Harmony's jaw was almost on the floor. "Holy hell, Neleh! Look at him!"

"Yes...he's attractive, now let's get your butt moving, as so not to be TOO obvious that you have the hots for him..." Neleh dragged Harmony across the hall by the arm.

"Hots? Who said anything about the hots?" Harmony blurted out, then noticing Marah and Warrick turning around, and looking curiously at her.

After a couple seconds, Marah shook her head. "Right...as you were saying, Warrick...so...Grissom has an obsession with bugs?"

"Yeah...when we were solving this case about some magician dude..." Warrick explained. "He had an epiphany about the case while looking at some moth..."

"Weird..." Marah raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, some moth that when it unfolds itself, it looks like an owl's head..." Warrick told Marah, shaking his head. "It's really cool, though..."

"Oh, yeah, I've seen those before..." Marah nodded. "What are they called again?"

"Owl's Head Moths?" Warrick asked, with a snicker.

"Unorthodox, much?" she laughed, then turned back to Neleh and Harmony. "Uh...hold on, we have stragglers..."

Warrick laughed. "Speed up, there...you're about to miss the first stop...this is the filing room, and these divine people Gil Grissom and Sara Sidle...these three are our new colleagues, Marah Ryan, Neleh Snyder and Harmony Munson..."

Marah, Neleh and Harmony waved hello to her new coworkers, and smiled. "I'm just a lab geek, but I'll be seeing a lot of you, so yeah..." Marah explained.

"Oh, that poor child is gonna be working with Greg?" Sara asked, shaking her head. "I send you my pity beforehand..." 

"Uh, ok?" Marah shrugged. "Thanks in advance?"

Sara and Grissom laughed, waved goodbye and went back to their filing work.

Marah glanced curiously at Warrick. "Who is Greg...?" she asked, with a shrug.

"You'll find out when we meet him...this is the A/V room...and these two are Archie Johnson and Nick Stokes," Warrick nodded an introduction.

Neleh's jaw dropped, and her eyes widened at the sight of Nick. "Uh...hi..." she immediately introduced herself to Nick. "Aryana Snyder..."

Harmony cleared her throat, and glanced away from Warrick for a second to say, "Harmony Munson..."

"Hi...I'm Marah Ryan..." Marah waved to Nick and Archie.

"Nice to meet you..." Archie nodded a hello to each of the girls.

"I'm looking forward to working with you..." Nick grinned. "I tell ya what...how about I help you give the tour? I'm done here anyway..." 

Neleh suddenly realized how Harmony felt when she saw Warrick. "Uh...oh my God, Har..."

Harmony screeched out something relatively similar to an; "I **KNOW**!" and jumped up and down with Neleh. "This is, like, PARADISE or something..."

Marah shook her head, and walked with Warrick and Nick, still talking, to their next destination. "So, Nick...are you from Texas or something...?" she asked, referring to a slight drawl in his voice.

Nick nodded. "Austin...I moved to Vegas when I graduated college, when I heard that they had one of the best investigative teams in the US, because I felt I'd contribute to it..."

"Whoa..." Marah grinned. "It's good to be a mere lab geek at times..."

"Why do you say that?" Warrick asked, curious.

"I'd get pushed aside, and stuff...Leh and Har are really good at this stuff, but I freak out at the sight of a dead body..." Marah laughed.

"Ah, reminds me of Greggo..." Nick nodded with a laugh. "You and he will probably get along pretty well...even though, he's kind of eccentric..."

"Aren't we all?" Marah asked, with a grin.

Warrick pointed to the next room. "You're gonna want a surgical mask...and one of these..." he handed each of the girls a hospital gown.

Nick took one down from the wall, and put on his surgical mask. "Welcome to...Goth Central..." he stated, and opened the door.

"Ooh, mortuary..." Neleh looked around. "Cool!"

Nick chuckled a little. "You sound so happy..."

Dr. Al Robbins peered up from the dead body. "Hello..."

"Oh, hey, Dr. Robbins...these are our new colleagues, Harmony Munson, Neleh Snyder and Marah Ryan..." Warrick introduced everyone.

"Aah! He said my name first!" Harmony screeched. "Oh...right...uh, hey, Dr. Robbins..."

"Nice to meet you girls..." he nodded a hello. "Maybe one of you can help me with this..." he lifted the blanket from a body. It's Nick's case, but he can't seem to figure out the point of entry of the knife, or the point of exit...and neither can I..."

Neleh strode over to the table and took a quick look at the body. Within six seconds, she had it. "Right here...the incision right under the Adam's apple is the entry point, and the point of exit is right here..." she pointed to a spot in the center of the victim's back.

"How can you tell?" Nick asked, joining Neleh at the body.

"Well...see the right curved grooves right here?" she asked, knowingly pointing to a curve in the wound. "They suggest where the knife or whatever weapon used was curved to exit from the back."

Nick examined the wound, then looked at Dr. Robbins. "You know, I think she's right..." he nodded. "Wow...good work..."

"Now all we...er...you have to do is figure out who could get so close as to do that..." she grinned, and turned on her heel, walking back to Marah and Harmony, with a look of pride and enamour on her face.

"Thanks, Neleh..." Nick smiled.

Neleh nodded, with a huge smile on her face. "Anytime..." once Nick looked away, she grabbed Marah and Harmony's hands, and screeched in a soft voice. "He said my name..."

"Chill, Leh, chill..." Marah put her hand on her friend's shoulder, now noticing Harmony staring at Warrick out of the corner of her eye. "Oh, man...lovesick CSI's...we're gonna get fired within the first week, you know?"

Harmony sighed. "You think I care?" she asked, her head tilted a little.

"Can we get outta here?" Marah sighed, and asked Warrick and Nick. "I'd like to have my lunch stay in me for a little more than an hour..."

Warrick laughed. "Let's go...we have to show her to her niche..."

"And her partner..." Nick nodded, with a slight chuckle. "Let's go..."

*

Greg ran a hand over his hair, and sighed. _This isn't working...I've tried every damn blood sample they left me in the file, and none of them belong to any of these people..._he thought. _Maybe there's one they missed. _He told himself, his eyes getting heavy, and his head dropping to the desk. "Sleep is definitely my friend..." he told himself, nodding off for the first time in three days.

__

Red and blue lights flashed around everywhere Greg looked. He was surrounded by unfamiliar people, all standing in his house, in his living room, and the only one he knew was screaming at the top of his lungs at him. "She's gone, Gregory, and it's all your fault!" a masculine voice filled his head. "You'll never see her again. What did you do to make her do this?"

"Nothing!" twelve-year-old Greg told the older man. "Nothing, dad...I just..." he sniffled. "I just came home to find her...and..."

"LIAR!" his father resonated, making the hair on the back of Greg's neck stand up straight. "WHAT did you do to her?"

"Nothing!" a tear hit Greg's cheek. "Nothing, I swear!"

"Tell me, or you'll be parentless!" his father held a gun to his head.

"Dad...I didn't do anything...honestly, I didn't!" Greg fought with his dad to keep the gun from his head. "I didn't do anything to mom!"

The sound of a gunshot filled the room and-

"GREGGO!" Nick shouted. "Dude! Get up!"

"Huh? What? No, I didn't do it! I..." Greg looked frantically around the room. "Oh...uh, hey, Nick..."

"The dream again?" Nick asked, knowing.

Greg nodded, sighing. "Anyway, what's up?"

"Oh...new employee time..." Nick tilted his head toward Marah, Neleh and Harmony. "These three are Neleh Snyder, Harmony Munson and Marah Ryan."

Greg stood up and smiled at each of the girls. "Greg Sanders. Nice to meet you..."

Marah tried to avoid acting like Neleh and Harmony, but thoughts of him immediately filled her head. "Nice to meet you too..." she smiled back at him.

Neleh and Harmony nodded a hello, and smiled at him.

"Which one of you is my new partner?" Greg asked, scanning each of the girls.

Marah raised her hand. "Guilty as charged..."

__

Woo, I'm gonna have some fun with this one...if I can only stop my dreams...Greg thought.

~~

__

How long 'til I'm not just dreaming?  
How long 'til somebody cares?  
How long 'til I meet an angel,  
And give him my heart?  
Where can I start?  
How long 'til I fall in love?


	4. Chapter Three: All You Wanted

****

Chapter Rating: _PG13  
_**Chapter Title:**All You Wanted – _Inspired by a Michelle Branch song...as if we all didn't know.  
_**AN: **_This is where the criminals come back...BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND ARE.........you'll have to see! *big toothy smile* Don't ya just love me?  
Also...I know that CSI is in Vegas, and it doesn't snow in Vegas, but guess what? IT'S GONNA SNOW, LOL...take that and like it!   
Much Love to my reviewers...**meg, JAF, auntof19, ALD, Dawn, Angelic Little Devil and Franny. **Your input is much appreciated, and thanks so much for the good reviews!  
_**Spoilers: **_Possibly an ATWT spoiler. None for CSI yet._

~~

After working in the DNA lab for two weeks, Marah had finally gotten comfortable. She was looking at a skin sample, examining it closely, and the lab's phone rang. She sighed, walked over and picked it up. "Las Vegas Crime Lab, DNA Lab, Marah Ryan speaking..."

"Hello, darling..." a familiar voice filled the phone. "Trying to nail me?"

"Huh?" Marah's face filled with fear. "Darling? Who is...?"

"You'll never catch me, Rah-rah..." the voice exclaimed, in a singsong tone. "I'm too good for any CSI to catch. Plus, I have friends this time!"

"Rah-rah? Uh...the only one to call me Rah-rah was..." Marah panicked. "No...no way..."

"Daddy's home!" James exclaimed and hung up the phone.

__

A joke...that was a sick joke...probably Aaron Snyder or Alison Stewart...or someone playing a joke on me...James is in jail...where he'll stay until his body is in total decay... Marah told herself. _Paul...I have to call Paul..._she grabbed her cell phone from her pocket. "Come on, Paul...pick up..."

Paul answered the phone, seemingly happy and carefree. "Hello?"

"P-Paul...P-P-Paul! It's Marah...I-I'm at work..." Marah stuttered a little. "I think..."

"Marah... Marah calm down...take a deep breath or two, and talk in complete sentences, sis..." Paul spoke gently, so Rosana didn't panic.

"But Paul! I think James is out of jail!" she cried. "I just got a call from someone claiming to be James...or...he called me Rah-rah...and no one has called me that since James..." she was hysterical. "Paul, I'm so scared. What if James is out of jail? You have to come to Vegas, and bring Rose...get OUT of Oakdale...bring Bonnie, Carly, Emily...Hal, Jack, Alison, Parker...WHOEVER needs to be away from James!" she spoke without breathing. 

"Marah...**CALM DOWN**!" Paul yelled. "Breathe! Marah...James is IN JAIL! He's not going to get away..."

"How do you know? Paul...please...just keep an eye out, and if anything inky happens, call me, and bring the people who need to be away from him to Vegas with you..." Marah made Paul promise. "Please..."

Paul could hear the true worry in Marah's voice. "Ok, sis, I can do that...just keep calm. It was probably Will playing a prank. He's been in a lot of trouble lately..."

"But how would Will have gotten my work phone number?" Marah asked.

"I have it on my cell when you gave it to me a week or so ago. Marah, take a deep breath. Everything is fine. Look around you, you're in an environment with plenty of people...James can't hurt you there, I swear it!" Paul explained. "And if you need anything, or if you hear anything else from James or a reasonable facsimile, call me. I'll be there in a heartbeat."

If there was one thing Paul could always do, it was comfort Marah. "And you'll do the same? Come out here if you see or hear anything from James?"

"Yes, I will...I promise," Paul nodded. "Get back to work, sis..."

"Love ya, Paul..." Marah smiled. 

"Love you, too, Marah..." Paul hung up the phone, and sighed. _What if he really is out of jail? _He thought. _Marah's just losing it, that's all. James is in jail. He'll stay in there forever, too._

~~

Greg joined Marah in the lab. "You seem...out there..." he sat down, and waved his hand in front of her face.

"Yeah, just thinking...is that pertaining to the Kissinger case?" Marah asked, changing the subject from her odd state of mind, very quickly.

"Yeah, it's weird...did Warrick and Harmony tell you about the case?" Greg asked, setting a folder, and a couple of baggies in front of her.

"Not yet...what's it all about?" she asked, picking up the folder and opening it.

"Nicole Kissinger..." Greg pointed at a picture of a girl that looked about in her mid-twenties, with blonde hair and green eyes. She was almost identical to Marah, only Marah's hair was shorter, and her eyes were a little darker green. "Twenty-five, found dead sitting upright in a trash can at about one-thirty a.m. on Saturday..." he explained.

"Who found her?" Marah asked, curiously raising an eyebrow, and looking at the pictures Harmony had taken of the crime scene.

"Her younger sister, Jaymie. Jaymie is twelve, and her mother made her take the garbage out, and when she opened the trash can, bada-bing..." Greg explained. "The only clues were fingerprints on the trash can, and they match no one in the house...Warrick is printing the boyfriend right now," he took one of the bags from the table. "And a little bit of blood beside the can, but I'm pretty sure that's the victim's..."

"Pretty sure? Not completely?" she asked.

"Nope..." he shrugged, walking over to the other computer. "The funny thing is, like four of the DNA tally things match, but you know what? I don't know, maybe you should look at this...I'll take over the case you're doing for awhile. Maybe you'll catch something I've missed..."

"Is that allowed?" Marah asked, wondering if Greg was trying to get her fired.

"I don't know, why don't you go ask Grissom?" he thought about it for a second. "I think so, but just to be sure..."

__

Why would he try to get me fired? She asked herself. _I can be so anal retentive sometimes... _"I'll go do that..." Marah smiled.

~~

A strange calm filled Greg, when he looked around the room and realized he was alone and no one could hurt him. The kind of calm that usually comes along in horror movies, right before the innocent bystander gets shot, or mauled to death by some psychotic murderer. In realization of this, his calm quickly disappeared, and he glanced around the room nervously, making sure no one was there. _Alone...and losing your mind...nothing can happen to you, Greg, nothing. You're completely safe, and totally guarded. Now just take a deep breath, and get back to whatever it was you were doing...what was I doing? _He asked himself, pulling his attention from his computer and over to Marah's. _What was **she** doing? _

Greglooked at Marah's computer, and read the name on the screen._ James Stenbeck…James Stenbeck? Isn't he that psychotic insano that terrorized the people of Oakdale? Why is Marah looking at James Stenbeck's profile? Whoa, he has children? _He asked, reading James' profile. _Paul Ryan and..._"Marah RYAN?" his jaw dropped about a mile. " Marah is...James Stenbeck's daughter?" 

After the initial shock of seeing that on the computer screen wore off, Greg shook his head. _Maybe that's why she joined the team? To nail him, or something? But, if she wanted to nail him, she probably should have joined the team in Oakdale...what's up here? Well, Griss wouldn't hire someone with a criminal record. She's harmless, completely harmless. _He slid away from her computer, and back to his, nearly jumping out of his skin when the phone rang. "Geezum Criminies! Is someone trying to give me a premature heart attack?" he asked himself, walking toward the phone. "Hello? Las Vegas Crime Lab, DNA Lab, Greg Sanders speaking..."

A couple seconds of heavy breathing, and then a cough came through the receiver.

"Ok, whoever this is, and whatever you're trying to pull, it's not funny..." Greg shook his head. "How did you get this number?"

More heavy breathing and another cough...then the dial tone.

"Damn, I hate teenagers..." Greg shook his head, and went back to his computer. "They thing that scary _I Know What You Did Last Summer_ or _Scream _crap is scary? Not really..." he switched on the radio, and turned it up to drown out any other sound within a twenty-foot radius.

"Ok, thanks, Grissom...I'll tell him everything..." Marah headed toward the lab, and hearing the music from the second she opened the door, she laughed. "He's more like me that I am..." she chuckled, and continued her journey back to the lab. She entered the room, to see Greg head banging, and Nick standing beside her at the door, watching him. "Is he...always like this?" she asked, having to speak above normal speaking voice.

"Huh?" Nick asked, barely hearing Marah.

She spoke slowly so that Nick could read her lips. "Is...he...al-ways...like...this...?" she grinned.

"Uh huh..." Nick nodded, and laughed. "**GREGGO**!" he yelled, louder than the music.

Greg jumped, turned around, then blushed a little when he saw Marah standing there. He quickly reached and turned off the radio. "Oh...uh..." he cleared his throat. "Hey guys..."

Marah was hysterical with laughter. "You know, you remind me of my ex-boyfriend, Simon Fraiser..." she shook her head.

"How is that..." Greg cleared his throat, and cracked his knuckles.

"Just, not caring what others think or say about you...anyway, Grissom said it was ok for us to change cases, as long as we totally enlighten each other on everything that's going on..." she nodded.

"Oh, ok, so then I'm here for you..." Nick snapped a pair of rubber gloves on, reached into the hallway, brought in a trashcan, and set it in front of Rosana. "The other contents of the garbage can...minus Nicole Kissinger..."

"Ahem..." Marah's lip curled. "Charming smell," she plugged her nose.

"Isn't it though? Imagine riding in a car with it, and being unable to roll the windows down..." Nick explained, shuddering. "I'll have nightmares about that smell..."

Greg snapped on a pair of rubber gloves. "I have a better idea that sharing cases..."

"What is that?" Marah asked, peering into the garbage can, and almost losing her lunch.

"We can work together...make it a little easier on your nose, stomach and eyes..." Greg patted her on the back.

"You're a lifesaver..." she grinned. "And, you'll, of course, help me with mine?"

"Definitely..." Greg smiled.

"I'm gonna leave you to this..." Nick nodded, and headed to the door. "See ya later Greggo, bye Marah..."

"See ya, Nick..." Greg and Marah stated in unison.

Nick exited the lab. "Ah, much easier on the nose out here..." he laughed, and then grinned, seeing Warrick and Harmony walking by, sharing smiles and laughs. _Well, one great relationship has come out of this...possibly, two..._he peered back into the lab, and saw Greg holding a rotten banana peel in Marah's face, and Marah backing away from Greg in horror. "Bonding over garbage...nice way to start a new relationship..." he laughed, walking into the break room, to see Neleh watching _Boy Meets World_. He laughed. "Still fifteen at heart?" he asked, seating himself beside her.

"Oh...uh...yeah...I figure, I only have a half-hour break, so I may as well catch up on Boy Meets World, while I still can...before I'm completely work-whipped..." she shrugged.

"Like me..." Nick nodded, and let out a chuckle. "When I'm at home, and normal people my age would be watching football and playing video games, I'm watching CNN, and complaining about the speed that other cities CSI teams work..."

"Oh boy...I'll be like that soon, you mean?" she asked, horrified.

"I'm hoping not, for your sake..." he shook his head. "I think your friend Harmony has loosened Warrick up a bit...he used to be as uptight as Grissom...and I just saw him sharing a hysterical-type laugh, and a huge smile that you never see from him, with her."

"Harmony has that effect on people. I used to be so serious, the only time that I smiled was when the stock market went up...but I met Harmony, and she could always make me laugh or smile," Neleh grinned. "She's really great to have around when you need someone to talk to..."

"Good, Warrick needs to calm down a bit..." Nick grinned. _Damn is she pretty...ok...you know what? I'm gonna take my break now..._he thought. "So...what's going on with Cory, Shawn and...what's that weird chick's name?"

"Topanga?" Neleh asked, with a grin. "Cory and Shawn are 'no longer seeing each other,' because Shawn doesn't think he's good enough..."

"I swear, if it wasn't for Topanga, I'd think Cory was gay or something..." Nick laughed, leaning back into the couch.

"I often think that myself..." Neleh grinned. "Wait, you actually LIKE Boy Meets World?" she asked.

"My niece is obsessed with it, and she comes over a lot, so I watch it about once every month or so," Nick explained, tearing his eyes from Neleh and looking up at the TV. _Don't wanna make it too obvious, man..._

Neleh smiled wide. _A guy that isn't afraid to like girl things actually exists? I'm in heaven...that's the only explanation. Cuz, he can't be a human...either that or he's a mirage. Whatever it is...I'm in love. _She told herself.

~~

__

If you want to, I can save you  
I can take you away from here  
So lonely inside, so busy out there  
And all you wanted was somebody who cares


	5. Chapter Four: Love Grows Deeper

****

Chapter Rating: _PG13  
_**Chapter Title:**Love Grows Deeper – _Inspired by a Nelly Furtado song...actually my favorite Nelly Furtado song.  
_**AN: **_Oh, and if you hadn't noticed...I changed the female characters' names to Marah and Neleh. Those are quite possibly my new fave girls' names.Hmmm...shall I bring the criminals back in this chapter, or keep **Angelic Little Devil** waiting even longer? The great debate...  
_**Spoilers: **_None...I don't think._

~~

Marah plugged her nose, and her eyes winced. "Greg! Put dat dasty azz ding bag in dere ride dow! That's GROSS!"

Greg held up the decapitated Barbie doll, covered in a banana peel. "Oh, cobe od...you dink it's cool, doht you?" he asked, a grin forming on his face, as he tried to hold his breath.

"Ow cad you BREADE dis air?" she asked, appalled.

"I'b daht...I'b daht breading true my dose..." he sounded like he had a terrible cold. "Dis is groz!" he dropped the doll back into the garbage can. "Rebide be deber do accept a case like dis agaid..." 

"Will do...as log as you rebide be, too..." Marah put the lid on the garbage can, and opened a window. "We bust air id oud id here..." she coughed. "Dis is gross..."

Greg boldly breathed through his nose. "Ok...I'm sick of sounding like Chuckie from Rugrats..." he immediately coughed. "Woo...this is nasty, though..."

"Yeah, it is..." Marah nodded, following Greg's lead and breathing through her nose. "So...you realize that we're gonna smell so terrible the rest of the week..."

"Nah, just use either lemon juice, or an orange peel...it'll take the smell right out..." he ran a hand over his hair. "Wanna take a break? Then we can look at your...not so stinky...case?"

Marah grinned, and chuckled a little. "Sure...what do you say for a little Burger King? My treat..."

"I say yeah to Burger King, no to your treat...I'll pay," he offered generously, grabbing his keys.

"What, afraid of female empowerment?" a grin formed on Marah's face. "That's just like a man..."

"Yes...I'm afraid that they'd use men like me as sex slaves!" Greg winked, nodding.

Marah playfully burst out laughing. Seeing the look on Greg's face, she slowly stopped, and grinned. "Oh...you were serious? Uh..._yeah_...maybe..." 

"Don't patronize me, Marah..." Greg's eyes narrowed, and he gently shoved Marah into a chair. "It's not nice!"

"Hey, YOU patronized ME too!" Marah stuck her tongue out, after landing in her chair, and wheeling halfway across the room. "So, don't go there, Mr. 'I'm too cool for my shoes.'"

"How did _I_ patronize _you?_" he asked, pushing her down as soon as she got back up.

"Well, for one, you keep pushing me down!" she stood up, and pushed him down into a chair. "And for TWO, you weren't letting ME pay!"

"Well, I'll STOP the first one, but I won't let you pay. It's not my style..." Greg grinned, and took out his wallet. "Shall we go?"

"I guess..." Marah rolled her eyes. _Oh, man...cute AND sweet! Wow...I'm in love!_ She thought, her grin growing. 

"Oh, man...I forgot..." Greg sighed. "Nick drove me in today, you're gonna have to drive us there...is that cool?" he ran a hand over his hair.

"Sure..." Marah immediately fixed Greg's hair back to the way it was. "You look better au natural..."

"Maybe I should strip naked, then? How much more natural do you get than nakedness?" he asked, a grin forming on his face.

Marah's mouth hung open. "Greg!" she shrieked in horror.

"I could have you screaming that all night long, baby!" he winked.

"Maybe this lunch is a bad idea..." she backed up a step.

"No, no, I'm sorry..." he snickered. "I'm done...I was just having some fun..." he shrugged.

"Yes, I realize that, Mr. Libido..." she chuckled. "But, damn, how long has it been since you've been laid?" she used the ever famous 'male language' Paul had taught her.

"Too long..." Greg laughed, shutting the door to the lab. "What about you?"

"Wanna be shocked, or want me to lie?" she asked, playfully.

"Shock me baby, one more time..." Greg winked, singing.

"I'm completely virginal," Marah explained. "Twenty-four sexless years for poor old Marah..."

"Seriously?" Surprise filled Greg's voice, as he stared in Marah's direction.

"Yep!" she nodded. "Never liked anyone enough to give myself up. I hold my values close to me..." she explained, backing out of the parking space. "Anyone who'll judge me by that one thing doesn't deserve to know the real me..." she quickly glanced at Greg's shocked stare, before pulling out of the parking lot. "Don't seem so surprised..." she laughed a little.

"I just thought that...you...of ALL people...would've done it..." he explained, shaking his head.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, tilting her head, obviously offended.

"No, no! I didn't mean it like that at all!" Greg shook his head. "It's just that...most girly-girls...OH MAN! It's just not coming out right..."

"It's ok," Marah laughed. "I get it, I think. So, what do you say to some Burger King, and then going to the park?"

"Sure..." Greg took out ten bucks, and handed it to Marah. "That should be enough, right?"

"Are you positive you wanna pay?" she asked. "I can get it, if..."

"No...I insist," Greg shook his head. "Really, I do..."

~~

"I can't believe Grissom send us all the way out here...I thought we were doing fine on the Kissinger case..." Neleh complained. "Didn't you?"

Nick shrugged. "Grissom is a perfectionist. It's his way, or the highway..."

"My second day at work, and I'm already doing an arson investigation..." she shook her head. "Go fig..."

"Uh...did you order original recipe or extra crispy?" Nick asked, approaching a very blackened body.

"Oh, yummy...that's my idea of a good time..." a shudder invaded Neleh's spine. "It looks like something went terribly wrong here..." she stepped over another charred body. "Oh, how ironic..."

"What's that?" Nick asked, joining Neleh over by the next body.

"Is that...extremely charred chicken?" she pointed in the second victim's hand. "Looks like she ordered extra crispy..."

"Ooh, hungry? Why wait?" he laughed a little, and took a few steps to the right.

Neleh took out the camera, and began to snap pictures. "Looks like they were having a party..." she shook her head, at another dead body. "Hey, Nick? This one isn't burned..." she pointed out.

Nick turned his head, and then rejoined Neleh. "Whoa..."

Neleh snapped three pictures of the dead body. "This is lovely..." she shook her head. "I guess this is the kind of job you've gotta love to stay here...good thing I love it..."

Nick sighed. "Tell me about it...if it wasn't for all the justice I bring, I woulda been gone a long time ago." 

"Yeah, you guys get a lot of strange stuff out here, don't you?" she asked. "Do you get much time to yourself?" she shook her hair out of her face.

"Nah, it kinda sucks..." he shrugged. "If we ever do get time alone, for even five minutes, Griss calls us with some assignment."

Neleh's shoulders slumped. "Lovely...so, relish vacations, and days off and stuff?"

"Basically...yeah," Nick nodded.

"And, make friends while you can, because the dead don't make good conversational partners..." she grinned, glancing up at Nick.

"Pretty much, yeah..." Nick laughed.

~~

"Greg! You are the messiest eater I've ever seen!" Marah handed Greg a napkin. "You've got ketchup all over your chin!"

"Where?" Greg asked, wiping his chin, and completely missing the blob of ketchup. "Did I get it?"

"What are you, like, ten or something?" she asked, smiling. "Gimme that..." she took the napkin, and wiped his chin. "You look dead tired...like Pacino in _Insomnia..._"

"You're the second one to tell me that in the past two days..." he laughed. "You and Nick share brainwaves, or something?" He glanced at a couple holdinghands.

"Depressing, aren't they?" Marah asked, looking at the same couple.

"It'd be nice to have someone to show off like that...someone proud enough of me to show me off, too, you know?" he asked, sighing.

"I know what you mean..." she nodded. "No one has ever been happy with me the way I am..."

"I definitely feel that..." Greg sighed. "But, please don't change yourself to comply to what others want. I think I'd probably be a lot happier if I hadn't done that..." he explained, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"I won't..." she smiled. "I don't think you can get any better though..." she shook her head. "Although, maybe the 'improved' Greg will come out with a LITTLE sleep..."

Greg smiled, and laughed a little. "Thanks, and you're right, sleep would be nice..."

"Why don't you take tomorrow off?" Marah asked, shrugging. "I can handle everything..."

"You _want_ me to get fired?" Greg asked, shaking his head. "No way...I'll just try really hard to sleep tonight..."

"Yeah, and then...if you do...you won't get up in time, and won't show up to work...then I won't be able to excuse you..." Marah grinned, knowing she'd win. "Then...you'll DEFINITELY get fired!"

Greg groaned. "What is it with women, and ALWAYS having to be right?" he asked.

Marah's grin turned into a full out smile. "It's just a rule..." she nodded, then her smile faded into a grim look. In the bushes, behind Greg, she saw a very familiar face. _No...no...it couldn't be...it's not...it...it IS! Is that James? He's in JAIL! _She panicked, and then realized she had to act natural. _What do I do? First...get Greg and myself outta here..._ "Oh...my God..." she covered her mouth. "Greg...we have to get outta here..."

"Huh? Why?" Greg asked, looking curiously at Marah.

"Just...please...listen to me, Greg...we have to get out of here...and make it look unassuming...I'll tell you in the car..." she acted normal. "Please, Greg?"

"Ok..." Greg picked up the food, and looked over his shoulder to see what had Marah so worked up. "Who is that?"

"I'll tell you in the car..." Marah shook a little. "Oh...my God..." she whispered. "This isn't happening..." she told herself, while opening the car door.

"What's up?" Greg asked, looking at the clearly nervous Marah, after she closed her car door.

"Ok...my father...is...James Stenbeck..." she was pained to tell him that.

Greg's jaw dropped, as he pretended to be shocked. "What?" he asked.

"Yes...ok? He's my father...and..." she sniffled. "I saw him...that guy...in the bushes...that was him!" she almost cried, but remembered Greg was with her, so she stopped herself, and started the car.

~~

Nick leaned over a big pile of ash. "You think this used to be a chair...?" he asked. "Or..." he shuddered. "A body?"

"Oh, God..." Neleh shuddered, too. "Considering the amount...I think it's safe to say it's a chair...but maybe I should take a baggie of...it...back to Greg and Marah, just to be sure?"

"Sure..." Nick nodded, and scrunched his nose up. "That's a little nasty..."

"Yes, that it is..." she nodded, snapping a picture. "Yum..."

"This guy ain't having any more parties..." Nick shook his head, looking at another charred  
body. "I think it's safe to say that..."

"Yeah..." Neleh snarled, looking up from the body, and glancing around the room. "You know what I don't get?" she asked.

"What's that?" Nick asked.

"If this was a normal, slow engulfing fire..." she paused. "Wouldn't there be more survivors?"

"This is very true..." he nodded. "That kinda makes you wonder...what could've happened?"

Neleh sighed. "Do you think we wanna call the explosives tech or something?" she asked, looking at a part of the room, where it seemed a little more blackened than the rest.

"Just in case, maybe that'd be a good idea..." Nick nodded, pulling out his phone. As soon as it reached his hand, it rang. "Just my luck..." he laughed.

"_Maybe _the bomb squad knew beforehand?" Neleh asked, with a grin.

"I'll just be a sec, then I'll call Steve..." Nick referred to the explosives tech. "Stokes..." he answered his phone, still laughing a little. "Hello?" he asked, after about two seconds without an answer.

"Hello, Nick..." a voice that sent chills up Nick's spine came through the phone.

"Uh...hi?" Nick tilted his head a little. "May I ask who's calling?"

"You should know me by now!" the voice snickered a little. "You're just trying to anger me, aren't you, Nick?"

"I don't know what you're trying to pull, whoever you are, but it's not funny..." Nick's voice filled with nervousness, and he went to hang up the phone.

"Nick, it's me...Nigel!" Nigel, Nick's worst nightmare, came through the phone.

"No...no way..." Now he recognized the voice. "You're...in jail..."

"Some nice man named James Stenbeck freed me! Isn't that great?" Nigel laughed. "You'd better tell that little blonde wench to watch herself...what's her name? N...N..."

"...Neleh?" Nick choked out her name, softly, so she wouldn't get nervous.

"Yeah! Neleh! If she gets in the way too much...she MIGHT be in trouble...she's got too much knowledge in that blonde head of hers...tell her to watch it, got it?" Nigel asked, warning Nick. "And, you better warn Gregory, too...his little woman there isn't safe either!"

Nick cleared his throat. He tried to remain calm, so not to scare Neleh. "Yeah, whatever..." he snarled, and hung up the phone.

"Uh...you ok?" Neleh asked. "You seem a little...eh..."

"Huh? Oh...yeah...it was...nothing..." he lied. "Nothing big, anyway..."

~~  
_  
Oh, wandering stars in the blue  
Oh, they could not be born because of you  
If I could have sunrise in the palm of your hand  
I would take the moonlight instead_


	6. Chapter Five: Hey Man

****

Chapter Rating: Strong PG13   
**Chapter Title: **Hey Man! _– Inspired by another Nelly Furtado song..._**  
AN: **_Y'all didn't think I was gonna update, did ya? Hardy har-har! I proved you WRONG! *sticks tongue out* This is where everything goes awry. Possibly, I'm gonna have to change my rating to R next chapter. Depending on what happens...  
_**Spoilers: **_Possible ATWT spoiler, for the last couple weeks worth of episodes...and a CSI 'The Stalker' spoiler._

~~

Marah paced around the lab, phone in hand, waiting for an answer. "Damn it, Paul! Pick up! Please? Come ON Paul! PLEASE!" she screeched.

"Marah...be calm...James can't hurt you..." Greg touched her shoulder. "You're here with people that care about you...look, it's Brass...why don't you tell him?"

"No _cop_ can take James down, Greg...Neleh's Uncle Jack tried...Harmony's father, Hal tried..." she explained, still getting no answer from Paul. "All to no avail..." she went back to her phone vigil. "I'll try him at work..." she called Paul's work number.

"We're not in Oakdale, Marah...maybe a Vegas cop can get him..." Greg tried to calm Marah down still.

Marah shook her head, dubiously. "This is JAMES _STENBECK_, Greg..." she shouted, then jumped when someone answered Paul's phone.

"Hello?" Bonnie McKechnie (**Author's Note: **_Bonnie is an ATWT Character...my favorite, actually...just so you all know_) answered Paul's work phone.

"Bon? What are you doing answering Paul's phone?" Marah asked Bonnie, her only best friend that didn't join her in Vegas. "Doesn't Rose usually do that?"

Bonnie cleared her throat. "Hey to you too, Mar...and Rose and Paul had a very serious falling out...Rose is out filling out divorce papers..."

"What?" Marah's eyes bugged. "What happened...wait a sec...is Paul there?"

"Yeah, he's right here...wanna talk to him?" Bonnie asked, knowing that Marah would definitely say yes.

"Please?" Marah asked, concerned for Paul more than herself now. "How's he doing?" she asked.

"Pretty well, considering..." Bonnie nodded, walking the phone to Paul. "Here he is...we need to catch up, too...call me later, k?"

"Definitely..." Marah grinned, waiting for Paul.

"Mar?" Paul asked, crying.

"Paul..." Marah felt so bad for her brother. "Are you ok, what happened?"

"More or less..." Paul bravely stated. "Thank God Bonnie came in...I was in terrible shape...Rose decided that I worried more about helping Bonnie out of her mess with Isaac and Marshall Travers (**Author's Note: **_More ATWT Characters, for the un ATWT-wise...) _than I did about Rose. We fought, and she decided that one strike was too many for me."

Marah's eyes narrowed. "Rose DiAngelo just made my shit list..."

"What'd you call for?" Paul asked, concerned for his sister.

"Paul...I hate this...I have to be the bearer of worse news..." Marah sighed, wondering if she should even tell Paul. "Do you wanna know, or do you want me to wait..."

"No, if it's important to you...it can't wait, sis...what's up?" he asked sweetly.

"Are you sure?" Marah flashed Greg an unsure glance, wrote on a piece of paper what had happened between Paul and Rose and handed it to him. "I mean...you're going through so much..."

"Tell me, Marah..." Paul insisted.

Greg shook his head after looking at the paper. "Don't tell him..." he whispered. "Save it..."

"Paul..." Marah half-smirked.

"Please?" Paul insisted.

"James is out of jail...and here in Vegas..." Marah blurted out.

"What?" Paul shouted.

"Yeah...my friend Greg and I saw him in the park..." she explained. "Tell Bonnie...bring her out here..."

"Why, so that we can be 'Team Ryan' again? And possibly get put in jail?" Paul complained. "You guys come to Oakdale...bring all your friends..."

"I have work to do, Paul...you promised!" Marah glared at the wall, imagining it was Paul again.

"Ok...fine, I'll be there tomorrow..." Paul snapped. "See ya, Marah..." he hung the phone up sharply.

"Love ya, Paul..." Marah sighed, hanging up the phone. "I think he's mad at me, Greg..." she wanted to cry. "For the first time in my life, Paul is mad at me...and it's all James' fault!" she yelled. "Damn him!"

"Marah..." Greg pushed some of her hair out of her face. "He's not mad at you, he's going through something terrible...it's not that surprising that he may be a bit irritable."

"Paul has never said a coarse word to me in his life, Greg..." Marah let a tear fall. "I guess you're right, though."

"Is he coming out here?" Greg asked, placing her head on his shoulder.

Marah nodded. "Yeah, he'll be here tomorrow...Bonnie's coming too..."

"Who is Bonnie, anyway?" he asked.

"Oh...she and I are childhood friends...she's the Duchess of Glasco..." Marah laughed at the thought of Bonnie ruling anything other than a household. "She's a great friend, too..." she explained.

~~

Nick glared out the window of the Chevy Tahoe, as Neleh drove. _How did he know about Neleh? And, how did he get my new cell phone number? I had it changed after the first time...but more importantly, how did he get out of jail?_

Neleh glanced nervously at Nick. She didn't like seeing him like this at all. Sure, she'd just met him, but he seemed so happy-go-lucky all the time. How could he have such a negative side? And more importantly, what had made it show through? Who was that on the phone before? "Nick?" she asked, all these questions buzzing through her head.

"Huh? Oh...what's up, Neleh?" he asked, turning his head toward her.

"What's the matter? Your mood just slightly changed...ok, so not so slightly, but yeah..." she sighed. "Did I do something?"

"No! No, no...you didn't do anything, Neleh. Really, you didn't, I'm just kinda...eh...at the moment. That's all..." he pointed out the obvious.

"What happened? Did it have anything to do with the call you got at the crime scene?" she asked, knowing the answer, sort of.

"Yeah...how did you know?" he forced a grin. 

"Something along the lines of the fact that after you got of the phone, you were all...jumpy, and you keep glancing around like a deer caught in headlights?" she explained, watching him stare at a passing car, as if it held the devil.

"Oh, uh...yeah. That..." he cleared his throat, and looked back at Neleh. "It's nothing, really..."

"You're a terrible liar..." she glanced from the road ant to Nick, then back at the road again. "What's going on?"

"Ok...here's the deal..." Nick shook his head at his own inability to lie, and grinned slightly at Neleh. "See, a year or so ago, I got this case about a guy who was stalking a woman named Jane Galloway. And, as professional as I am, I stupidly made it personal, and then I found out, by watching a couple tapes that the stalker, named Nigel Crane, had kept...he was also stalking me..." he painfully explained to Neleh. "Someone on the scene pushed me out a two story window...but thankfully, I only suffered minor cuts and bruises, and a concussion. I went home to relax...and you know, gather my thoughts? And well, some clairvoyant guy comes by and tells me that I'm in danger," he remembered the situation with great clarity. "Which, of course, I was. Nigel was in my ceiling...and, well, he killed the clairvoyant, and chose me as his next victim. Thank God, though, I was saved, about seconds before he was gonna kill me, by Detective Brass and a couple other cops..."

Neleh's eyes were as wide as saucers. "Oh my God!" she pulled over to the side of the road, reached over to Nick, and hugged him tight. "That must have been absolutely terrifying...but, may I ask...what does that have to do with right now?" she pulled back from Nick, and pushed some hair behind her ear.

"That was him on the phone at the scene...and he knew about you, Harmony and Marah..." Nick explained. "And, well..."

"How did he know about me, Mar and Har?" she asked, beginning to get nervous.

"Uh...well...he said that some guy named James Stenbeck freed him..." Nick explained, beginning to get nervous as well.

"STENBECK? Oh God..." she started to panic. "He's FREE? I have to call Marah! She needs to hide..."

"Neleh...you need to stay out of this...if you get too involved, he'll hurt you...promise you'll stay out..." Nick begged.

"No! James Stenbeck has ruined Marah, Paul, Harmony's and my life too many times for me to stay out of it! I'm sorry, Nick...I can't do that!" she shook her head ferociously. "This officially became my case...I'm sure Harmony will agree..."

~~

__

There's a shadow in the sky,   
And it looks like rain  
And shit is gonna fly  
Once again


	7. Chapter Six: You Can't Lose Me

****

Chapter Rating: PG13  
**Chapter Title: **You Can't Lose Me – _Inspired by an Otown song...meant to encompass Paul and Marah's relationship.  
_**Author's Note: **_You didn't think I'd be back, did ya? Well, here I am! You miss me? Mucho love to **Angelic Little Devil** and **Franny**...thanks for the reviews. _Oh, by the way...which character should I have get kidnapped, Greg, Paul, Bonnie, Marah or Neleh?

~~

"You and Paul actually have a lot in common..." Marah nodded, explaining things about her brother to Greg. "He's really smart, and he's so much fun to be around..."

"I dated him twice in high school..." Harmony added. "And, he's one of those kind of guys that'll still be your friend after a really harsh break up...he values his friends deeply..." she grinned, looking toward Warrick.

Warrick's lip curled at the thought of Harmony with another man. "So...he's Marah's brother?"

"That means you can't kill him, Warrick..." Marah laughed, as she glanced from Warrick to the door Paul would be emerging from. "I feel like I'm five again...and I'm waiting for Santa to come or something...and, well, that may be accurate, because if Paul isn't mad at me, he always brings me stuff..." she smiled, remembering the time Paul went to London, and brought her back a store's worth of designer clothes. He insisted that Rose bought them, and that he just thought of Marah, but Marah didn't believe that. "Do I sound like I'm three?" she asked.

"No more than usual..." Neleh joked with Marah. "Plus, you miss your broski..."

"As you once said," Harmony laughed at Marah. "If she treats her men half as well as she treats her brother...she'll have men lining up for her..."

Greg snarled. "Yeah, yeah..." his lip, like Warrick's, curled at the thought of Marah with another man.

Nick laughed. "So then...Neleh, what are your feelings on Marah's sister?"

"He's awesome! He's half the reason I went to Marah's house..." Neleh explained, then looked at the offense on Marah's face. "The other half of...of course...being Marah!" she grinned innocently.

Marah laughed. "Paul is quite the charmer...if he wasn't my brother, I'd date him!" 

"Ew!" everyone else said in unison.

"WHAT? I SAID if he WASN'T my brother!" Marah shouted.

"What about your brother?" Paul put his hands on Marah's shoulders, making her jump about a mile.

"Oh my God! PAUL JACOB RYAN! You are in so much trouble!" she stood up, and pushed him.

"Hey to you, too, sis!" Paul pouted.

Marah shook her head, and hugged Paul. "When we got off the phone yesterday, I thought you were mad at me or something..." she kissed him on the cheek.

"Nah..." Paul shook his head. "I could never be mad at you!" he rustled her hair. "You're my little Marionette!" Paul, ever since they were twelve, had called Marah 'Marionette.'

"Oh, Paul...these are my colleagues and friends...Nick Stokes, Warrick Brown and Greg Sanders...and you know Dumb-nut and Dingo..." Marah introduced Paul to everyone, then waved her hand at Harmony and Neleh.

"Hey, everyone...I'm Paul Ryan, and this is my friend, Bonnie McKechnie..." Paul reached behind him, and pulled a blushing girl out from behind him.

"OH MY GOD! BONNIE!" Marah, Neleh and Harmony all screamed in unison, and then shared a group hug with Bonnie.

"Hey!" Bonnie hugged Marah, Neleh and Harmony back. "Oh man! How have you guys been?"

"I see you jumped at the opportunity to scoop my brother up..." Marah winked, knowing Bonnie had a thing for Paul.

Bonnie cleared her throat. "No...uh...Paul and I are just...uh...friends..."

"If that's sure, I wanna be unsure..." Marah shook her head. "Bon...I won't be mad!" she shoved Bonnie a little. "Hell, Harmony and Neleh have both dated him!"

"Yeah, I like him...but I won't 'scoop him up' as you say, because he's still getting over Rose..." Bonnie insisted.

"Why? Paul is a survivor!" Neleh watched the boys, all talking, and Paul blending in easily. "He's probably already over her! Look at him! I've never seen someone so happy after a serious breakup..."

Marah shook her head slightly. "Paul may be a Weeble (**_Author's Note: _**Weebles can wobble, but they won't fall down!), but he's not that strong..." she mumbled. "But...he's probably already in the healing process, and who better to help him through it, than Duchess Bonnie McKechnie..."

"Yeah..." Bonnie smiled. "Maybe you're right..." she grinned widely as she watched Paul walk and blend in like he belonged in Vegas. "Amazing how an Oakdale boy can change a Duchess' life forever..."

"We Ryan's have that effect on people..." Marah grinned in a moment of egotism. "I don't think it's the Oakdale thing...most Oakdalies are annoying and..." she tried to think of a word.

"Heartless?" Neleh suggested.

"Apathetic?" Harmony bested Neleh.

"Scum?" Bonnie summed it all up in the shortest word possible.

"Scum...perfect word, Bonbon!" Marah nodded. "Most Oakdalies are scum..."

"The only Oakdalies that aren't...well, they're all in this room..." Neleh grinned, pointing at herself, Harmony, Bonnie, Marah and Paul.

~~

"So...Marah said we have a lot in common..." Greg looked at Paul. "You know...your sister's a great girl..." he glanced back at Marah, who was laughing hysterically, and shoving Bonnie. 

"Yeah, I basically raised her, you know?" Paul asked. "My mom was as unavailable as she could possibly be, without being COMPLETELY uninvolved in our lives, and my dad...well...you all see how he is..."

"So, you played both parental roles in Marah's life?" Nick asked, shaking his head. "How much older than her are you?"

"Four years...I was feeding a one year old at the age of five...but then again, without me there, the only human contact she would've had was with the nanny, who couldn't even pronounce her name..." Paul explained.

Warrick shook his head. "So...who went to her parent teacher meetings, and stuff?"

"Yeah, Barbara was around for those...either that, or she sent in Neleh's mom, Lily..." Paul shrugged. "I was usually there, though, so I could help her with things she couldn't do..." he told them. "I played the role of dad, and sometimes mom...which was weird...and then when she turned twelve, we kinda split the duties. She cooked and stuff, while I cleaned..."

"No offense, because it is respectable and all, but did you have a life aside from taking care of your little sister?" Greg asked, not meaning to offend Paul. "Because I mean, she must have taken up a lot of time..."

"Yeah, I did..." Paul took no offense. "She stayed home alone with the nanny when she was ten and on..."

"Jeez..." Warrick shook his head. "Well, I give you props, man...you've earned my permanent respect..."

Greg and Nick both nodded. "Same here..." they told him.

~~

"So..." Paul looked around Marah's apartment, and set his things in her living room. "I don't get it...I thought James was gonna be under lock and key for the rest of his life..." he tried to keep his cool for Marah's sake, even though inside, he was terrified.

"Sound calmer, why don't you?" Marah joked. "Jeez! Our psychotic father escaped prison, and is probably out to kill us, and all you can say is 'so, he escaped?'"

Bonnie sat down on the couch, and sensing the immense tension in the room, changed the topic. "So, what's the deal with you and that Greg guy? He a love interest?"

"He's a friend..." Marah shook her head. "That...maybe...I have a slight interest in otherwise..." she explained, noting the dubious looks on Bonnie and Paul's faces. "But he's a colleague...and those relationships don't ever work..."

"Do I have to give you the 'go after him' speech again?" Paul asked. "I remember when you were sixteen, and you needed my help with Adam Munson's crush on you..." he saw the annoyed looks on both Bonnie and Marah's faces. "And, yeah...I helped you..."

Marah laughed. "You know we love you, Paulie...just...your stories are so...boring! I remember them...I was there..."

Paul grinned, then looked at Bonnie. "So, we're in Vegas, baby...wanna go shop?"

"Oh...here, Paul..." Marah handed Paul a spare key. "Mi casa es su casa..." she smiled sweetly.

"Great! So, you may not be here when we get back?" Paul asked.

"Make use of the guest bedroom...I have to go to work in an hour, anyway..." Marah hugged her brother. "I'll call you later, ok? And if you don't answer, I'll presume you're either still out, or...yeah..."

"MARAH!" Bonnie screeched at Marah. 

"What?" she asked, grinning slightly. "It's Vegas, baby!"

~~

"So, your brother and you have a really deep bond, don't you?" Greg asked Marah, who was going over a couple things on James Stenbeck's criminal report.

"Yeah, he's always been there for me, no matter what, and vice versa..." she explained, writing something down. "I'm so thankful for him, because if I didn't have him, I may have ended up like James..."

"Well, I'm beyond glad you took the path of righteousness..." Greg grinned. "All this world needs is a sexy villain, that no cop would wanna take down..."

"Like Catwoman?" she asked. "Woohoo! I could wear a tight leather suit..."

"No fair! No sexy images while we're at work!" Greg grinned at Marah again. "Now that image will be in my head all day...thanks, Marah!"

Marah laughed, then her smile faded into a scowl. "Oh...my God...ok...you're telling me that there's actually a lawyer that would want to represent him? Damn!"

"I don't think lawyers have a choice, really..." Greg put his hand on Marah's shoulder. "No lawyer in their right mind would willingly represent this creep..."

"James probably had one of this guys stupid weakness...and he plotted to use it against him..." Marah explained, with pure animosity in her voice.

"Marah...you need to relax...you can't let this consume you, you know?" he stood up, feeling the tenseness in Marah's shoulders, and gently started to massage them.

"I can't, Greg..." she smiled, enjoying the massage. "If I relax, James will take that time to strike...believe me...that's the way he plays..."

"You need to take some Marah time, though..." he told her. "If James consumes you, he'll have won, too..."

Marah looked up at Greg. "Wow...what are you, a trained masseur or something?"

"Nah...you're just really tense, and any contact will feel like heaven...take a deep breath..." he laughed a little.

Marah breathed deeply. "Thanks, Greg...and, after shift is up, I'll get some well needed rest...oh...I'll be right back..." she stood up. "I need to call Paul and Bonnie...see if my apartment is still standing..."

"Why wouldn't it be?" Greg asked.

"Paul may be close to perfect, but he can't cook for anything! Man, the last time he tried cooking, the whole house was nearly burned to ashes on the ground..." she picked up the phone and called her number. She laughed at hearing her own voice coming through the answering machine, saying, "What's up yo? The ceiling, word! I'm not at the house right now, I'm either at work, which consumes most of my time...thank you, Grissom, or...I'm out chilling with one of my peeps, yo! Ha-ha-ha! I seriously need help, guys...I'm trying to talk like Justin Timberlake. Leave me a message after the tone, k? Ciaoness!" 

Wondering whether or not to leave a message, she shook her head after the beep. "Paul if you're there, pick up the phone...if not, call me at work when you get home...the number is 968-1946..." she waited a couple seconds to see if Paul would answer, but when he didn't, she hung up. "Why did I just leave a message on my own machine? Dang, I need help..."

Greg laughed. "Let's take a break...I hear the Playstation calling us from the break room..."

Marah nodded. "Sounds like a plan...let's go..."

~~

__

You can lose your control and  
Lose your senses  
Lost your strength, lose your defenses  
You'll see, you'll see, you'll see  
You can't lose me


	8. Chapter Seven: Papercut

****

Chapter Rating: R for language and possible violence if I do a Paul/James scene...—If you don't like R rated stuff, don't read, k?  
**Chapter Title: **Papercut –_ Inspired by the second best rock band ever, Linkin Park. Second only to Incubus, of course...  
_**Author's Note: **_Mucho love to **Angelic Little Devil** and **auntof19**...thanks for the reviews. Oh, and if you want a back-story on the ATWT characters...here are two links for you:   
__http://www.soapcentral.com/atwt/whoswho/bonnie.php__  
__http://www.soapcentral.com/atwt/whoswho/paul.php__  
_Which character am I gonna have kidnapped, Greg, Paul, Bonnie, Marah or Neleh? I may go against my readers' wishes...wait and see!

~~

Marah looked back, and was taken aback to see Greg, who was walking up the stairs of her apartment complex, right behind her. "You followed me home? I should have you arrested..."

"You wouldn't do that, now would you?" Greg grinned at Marah, and sped up, so he was beside her.

"Depending on what you do when we get into my apartment..." she rolled her eyes. "My brother's there by now, anyway...he'd take care of you for me!"

"Why is it every girl has a big brother, and I don't get a little sister to protect?" he asked, leaning against the wall while she unlocked her door.

"Paul locked the door...hmm...he and Bonnie must be..." Marah was interrupted by a frantic Bonnie, throwing the door open, and almost scaring Marah and Greg half-senseless. "Whoa! Bonnie, chill!"

"Oh God...Marah! Paul..." Bonnie was crying and shaking uncontrollably.

"What about Paul? Where is he?" Marah looked around. "Oh my God..." she glanced at Greg, then back at Bonnie. "What happened, Bonnie...where is he?"

Bonnie hugged Marah tightly. "Marah...we were...shopping...and someone came up behind me...and grabbed my shoulders. Then, Paul whirled around, and saw who it was, and shoved him away from me...and next thing I know...he's gone..."

Marah's eyes were filled with tears. "No...no, no...not Paul...no, no! No way!" she started shaking just as badly as Bonnie was. "Oh my God..."

Greg tried to remain as calm as he could, and looked at Bonnie. "Uh...Bonnie...were you wearing that jacket when whoever it was grabbed your shoulders?" he asked.

Bonnie nodded. "Here..." she took it off. "I'm pretty sure there are only three sets of prints or whatever on it..."

Marah fell to the couch. "Paul was right...I should have gone to Oakdale...oh my God...what if he's hurt? What if he can't call for help? Oh my God...why the FUCK didn't I listen to him? He's ALMOST always right, God damn it!"

"Take it easy, Marah...this isn't your fault...we need to call Grissom..." Greg took charge of the situation. It killed him to see her so distressed. "Can I use your phone?"

Marah nodded, tears flowing down her cheeks. "It's over there..." she pointed shakily to a table. _Paul...I'm so sorry...please, just hang in there wherever you are, PLEASE...for me._

~~

Neleh glared at Nick and laughed. "No! I will not take this top off! I'm not being your body model, damn you!" she replied to a request from Nick to remove her top. She was wearing three shirts, in response to the surprisingly cold Las Vegas weather.

"Oh come on! Please?" he begged, jokingly. "You look like the Michelin tire marshmallow guy..."

Neleh looked to Harmony for support. "You're just gonna sit there while he violates me like this?" But, in realization that Harmony was content with what she was doing, which was kissing Warrick, she sighed. "Never mind..." she complained.

Sara peered into the room, and seeing the happy looks on everyone's faces, immensely hated the news she was about to bring. "H-hey...guys..." she looked mainly at Neleh and Harmony, but then at Warrick and Nick, sending them a signal that the news she was about to bring wasn't exactly good.

Neleh's smiling face moved from Nick to Sara. "What's up, Sara?" she asked.

"Uh...I have...some sorta bad news..." Sara looked behind her, thankful that Grissom was coming, so he could tell them the gut-wrenchingly bad news. "Griss...can you tell them?"

Grissom nodded, knowing why Sara didn't want to say. "Paul Ryan has been kidnapped..." he told them all.

Neleh's jaw dropped about a mile. "Huh...w-what?" she stuttered.

Harmony put her pointer, middle and ring fingers over her mouth, while her pinky and thumb rested on her cheeks. "Does...Marah know?" she gasped out.

"Yeah...she's with Greg and Bonnie at the moment...both she and Bonnie are really shaken up...Greg called and I heard both of them crying in the background..." Grissom explained with a nod.

"Oh my God...the poor girl..." Harmony stood up. "Both of them, really...she must be going through hell..."

~~

"Ah, you're awake...my darling son...too bad I couldn't get my daughter here, too..." a wry voice from across the room taunted.

Paul sat up, and tried to reply, but the tape over his mouth restricted him. _Fuck! My head!_ He complained to himself, then remembering what happened, he started to worry about Bonnie. He looked up at his attacker, and tried to gasp, but couldn't. It was James! James really was back, and Marah wasn't just saying it to get him to come to Vegas. _How could I have even questioned that? She wouldn't do that to me!_

James knelt over Paul, and tore the tape off him. "Usually the tape over mouth thing isn't my style, but I decided I could make an exception for my son...what are you thinking, Paul?"

"First of all...back off Marah and Bonnie! And second of all, where the hell are we?" he asked, getting in James' face as much as he could.

"Paul, Paul, Paul...you definitely got some of my better features...namely my fear of nothing..." James shook his head. "Your sister is rather stupid in the way that she doesn't know when to keep her nose out of trouble. Not much unlike you...if you had just let me take Miss McKechnie, you'd be back with your darling sister..."

"Yeah right! Marah and Bonnie both mean so...why am I telling you anything? So you can just hurt them? No! You've got me...settle for once..." Paul snarled angrily.

"I wouldn't be making demands, son...the more demands you make, the more likely you are to be joined by your darling Bonnie, or sister dearest..." James snidely remarked, laughing afterward.

"Why I oughtta..." Paul, not thinking, swung fiercely at James, and knocked him down.

"Paul Ryan Stenbeck!" James stood up, and seemingly unphased, glared at Paul. "Just for that, your sister and Bonnie are in greater danger...they better stick in big groups..." he cackled as he left the room, locking the door behind him.

~~

Marah, still shaken, looked at Greg. "Thank you...I really have no idea what I'd have done if I'd found that out and had to call Grissom myself..." she hugged him.

Bonnie looked afraid. "Are you guys going back to the lab?" she was terrified of the thought of being alone with James on the loose.

"I'll stay with you, Bon..." Marah looked toward her teary-eyed friend, and then to Greg. "You have to treat this case with particular..."

Greg shushed her. "Bonnie can come to the lab with us, and hang out in the break room, ok? I'd like to have everyone I care about in one place, so that we can all have each other's backs..."

"Greg, someone needs to be here if James comes back...and I'm not afraid of him...I'm staying here...I have to, and that is that..." Marah insisted.

"No! I won't let you! You have to come back to the lab with us..." Bonnie protested along with Greg. "Please...Marah, you're the only one who even comes close to understanding how I feel right now...I'm begging you..."

Marah looked at Bonnie. "I wanna be able to..."

"Please!" both Greg and Bonnie begged.

Marah sighed, and with tears in her eyes, she gave in to their request. "Fine..." she leaned into Greg's chest, and broke down. "But I swear it, if anything happens to Paul, I'm going after James, and there's nothing you can do to stop me!"

Greg hugged her tight. "Marah...we'll find Paul, I promise..." he ran his hand through her hair, and waited for Sara, Grissom and the rest of the team.

~~

__

It's like I'm paranoid looking over my back  
It's like a whirlwind inside of my head  
It's like I can't stop what I'm feeling within  
It's like the face inside is right beneath my skin


	9. Chapter Eight: Circles

****

Chapter Rating: Strong PG13/R  
**Chapter Title: **Circles – _Inspired by the five, the only...INCUBUS!  
_**Author's Note: **_*sniffles* PAUL! LOL! What do you guys think so far? Thanks again to my reviewers, I couldn't do this without you..._

~~

Greg looked comfortingly at the cold, emotionless, Marah, who was checking the shoulders of Bonnie's jacket, for epithelials left behind by Paul's assailant. He had never seen someone's eyes filled with such pure hatred and pain at the same time. He looked over at Bonnie, who was sitting with Sara, Harmony and Neleh being comforted, and told it wasn't her fault. This was the one thing Greg hated about being a crime lab analyst. Seeing people's faces like this destroyed him. Especially people he loved. He walked up behind Marah, and set his hand on her shoulder, trying to bring comfort to her apathetic state.

Marah looked up at Greg, smiled very slightly, but then went back to work. With every bit of passion in side her, she hated James. Did it matter to her that he was her father? To her, it didn't. So he helped give birth to her...did he have to ruin every breath she took from then on? She again glanced up at Greg, the one breath of fresh air she had left until they found Paul. For the first time in hours, pure emotion filled her eyes, and she started to cry again.

Greg had never felt like that about someone else before. Seeing her cry absolutely tore his heart in two. Every last ion inside him now was hell bent to make her happy. He lifted her onto her feet, out of her seat, and hugged her tight, placing her head on his shoulder. "Paul's gonna be ok...I promise..." he told her, unsure of the truth in his statement.

~~

Paul sat in the corner of the room, trying to be as calm as possibly could, given the circumstances. Inside, though, he was dying. Worry about Marah, Bonnie...everyone, really...filled his head. What would Marah do if something did happen to him, though? He knew Marah loved him, so she would absolutely freak out. She'd probably go insane, and threaten to hurt herself, or others. _James hurts you through the ones you love...he's doing this mainly to hurt Marah, isn't he? _He looked up to the sky. _Why did we get cursed with such a demonic father?_

James entered the room, this time with a sidekick. He glanced at Paul, staring at the sky, pensively. "Saying your prayers, son? Put one in for Marah, ok?"

"And possibly the other investigators?" the other man hissed with laughter.

"Who is that?" Paul asked, glaring at James' sidekick.

"This? This is my friend, Nigel Crane...I'm responsible for his release from prison..." James grinned at Paul. "So, put in the good word for the other CSI's, ok? He has some gripes with a couple of them."

Paul's eyes narrowed. "Leave them alone! You've already made Marah's life miserable enough!" he cracked his knuckles.

"What are you going to do, son...fight me?" James snickered. "For your sister? Are you insane? Just let me get her, and then you can keep her safe here!"

Paul stood up laughed out loud. "Right! What do you think I am, stupid? Leave Marah alone! I swear it!"

James shook his head. "As you wish, Paul...but if I can't have Marah..." he was interrupted.

"Nicky?" Nigel asked, grinning.

"No, imbecile...be patient!" James snapped. "As I was saying...if I can't have Marah..." he mumbled as he left the room.

"What? Whoa, James...wait...what are you gonna do? Leave them alone! Come on!" Paul yelled after James. "JAMES!"

~~

Greg sighed. He was off for the night, but unsure if he wanted to go home for the first time ever. He walked up to Marah, still inexhaustibly plugging away at the James Stenbeck case. This was Marah's personal vendetta, and he knew that no one, not even Grissom, could take her off the case. He was worried about leaving her, but then looked beside her, and saw that Bonnie was there, following every direction that Marah gave her. "Hey, guys..." he walked into the room, and peeked over their shoulders.

Bonnie glanced up at Greg, and nodded a hello. Her expression had a little more emotion than Marah's, but still was basically emotionless. Greg could see that she was immensely hurt, and was also on a vendetta against Stenbeck. "Hey, Greg...what's up?"

Marah didn't glance up from the computer, but nodded a 'hello' to Greg. "What's up?" she asked. "Your shift is over, isn't it?" she removed her hands from the keyboard and cracked her knuckles, then pushed some hair behind her ears.

Greg nodded, and mumbled a, "Yeah..." then sat down beside her, and turned her face to his. "But before I go anywhere, I just wanna be sure you're gonna be ok..." he stared deeply into her eyes.

Marah's eyes held no emotion; but, when looking into Greg's they overflowed. She nodded. "Bonnie's here with me...and, don't worry, I'll call you in the morning, ok?" she forced a smile, to make Greg happy.

Greg could see right through the lie, but then looked to Bonnie, and realizing that she was there, knew that Marah would be ok. "Are you sure that you don't want me to stay? Because I can if you need me here..."

Marah kissed him on the cheek, thanking him for offering. "I'm fine, but thanks for asking...I'll call you, ok?"

Greg nodded, and kissed her on the cheek. "See you later, then..." he sighed, and looked at Bonnie. "Later, Bonnie..."

"See ya, Greg..." Bonnie waved goodbye, and went back to what she was doing.

Greg left the lab, still worrying deeply about Marah. _If she gets too personal about this...wait, what am I saying? She already is too personal about this. I'm so glad I followed her home that night...what would she have done if it was just her and Bonnie? Oh, man...ok, she's safe, Griss, Sara Harmony and Warrick are still there. Oh, and here come Nick and Neleh...at least she'll be in a big group. So, I can go home. _"Hey, Nick..." Greg waved. "Hey, Neleh..."

"Hey, Greggo..." they chimed in unison.

"How's Marah?" Neleh asked, looking around, and seeing that Marah's car was still in the parking lot.

"She's holding up...she and Bonnie are working the case together...I'm shocked that Griss actually let Bonnie help..." Greg laughed a little, then sighed. "Watch after them, would ya?" he asked.

"You betcha..." Nick nodded. "With Nigel on the loose, too? Definitely...that poor girl is as unsafe as they come. We all are, for that matter..."

Neleh nodded. "Nick and I have decided to stick together at all costs...you probably should be traveling with someone, too..."

"Nah...my wussy stature is deceiving..." Greg laughed. "I can defend myself..."

"Just...be careful, ok?" Neleh begged Greg. "If anything happened to you, Marah would go off the deep end..."

Greg grinned, but then went back to seriousness. "Sure thing..." he told Neleh. "See you guys later, ok?"

"See ya, Greg..." Neleh and Nick groaned in unison.

Greg got into his car, and immediately got to thinking. Was Marah really gonna be ok? Or, was she just saying that so he could leave with a clear head? If she was, it didn't work. He was more worried than he was before. He started his car, and pulled onto the street.   
"I hope we don't have a Sara-two on out hands..." he laughed to himself, hitting the breaks for a stoplight, but then realizing that they weren't working, went into a panic. "My breaks..." he cleared his throat, and reached for the emergency break, but when that didn't work, started to panic more. Seeing the truck coming through the intersection, he did the first thing that came to mind, which was swerving to the right, and going off the road into a ditch. "What the fuck?" he got out of his car, luckily only slightly injured.

"Watch your mouth, young man!" a chillingly deep voice came from the woods.

"Huh?" Greg looked around, and started to really panic. "Who was that?" he asked, suddenly feeling a hard blow to the back of his head, and falling to the ground.

~~

__

Hey, what would it mean to you  
To know that it'll come back around again  
Hey, whatever it means to you  
Know that everything goes in circles yeah


	10. Chapter Nine: Suddenly

****

Chapter Rating: Strong PG13/R again  
**Chapter Title: **Suddenly – _Inspired by an Otown song...  
_**Author's Note: **_I seriously think this is my best story yet...I'm truly proud of it, and hope you all like it too. That's all I have to say this chapter...LOL!_

~~

Nick peered into the room, and signaled for Neleh to follow him in. "Hey Marah, hey Bonnie..." he waved to them, then whispered to Neleh, "I've never even seen Griss this somber..."

Neleh agreed. "Yeah...but he is Bonnie's boyfriend...and Marah's brother...and if I'd ever seen a brother/sister relationship closer, I'd have to be worried..." she whispered back.

"Oh, hey Nick, hey Leh..." Marah faked the slightest twinge of happiness, then wend back to her angry state. "What's up?" she asked.

"Hey guys..." Bonnie waved, then her jaw dropped. "Marah! I think I may have found James' hideout!"

Marah jumped up from her seat, and in a flash, she was at Bonnie's side. "Where?" she screeched, being suddenly joined by Nick and Neleh.

"James' style is dark, right?" Bonnie asked.

"Uh huh..." Marah and Neleh nodded, while Nick just listened.

"Well...where better than in an alleyway, I thought at first..." Bonnie shrugged. "But then...it hit me...where is darker than an alley?" she asked.

Marah gave Bonnie an off glance, asked, "Where?" and shrugged.

"The sewer!" Bonnie shouted. 

"Bonnie! You're a genius!" Marah gasped, hugged Bonnie, then immediately went into serious mode. "Neleh...can you find me a map of the Vegas sewer system?" she asked.

"Sure thing..." Neleh stood up, and ran out of the room. 

Bonnie looked at Marah. "Now what do we do?" she asked.

"We follow this lead..." Marah explained. "Nick...can you drive? I don't think either Bonnie or I are in the condition to drive...we'll go tell Grissom..."

"Sure thing..." Nick grabbed his keys out of his pocket. "Meet you out in back in about fifteen minutes, ok?" he dashed out of the room, to his car. "Man, I guess when your family is in trouble, it really brings out the CSI in you..."

Marah knocked on Grissom's door, and waited for any response.

"Come on in..." Grissom looked at Marah's expression, and saw that something big must have happened.

"Bonnie has a theory...and I was wondering if we could follow it..." Marah looked at Bonnie, signaling for her to tell Grissom her theory.

"What's the theory, Bonnie?" he asked, suddenly becoming interested, and setting his glasses on the table.

"Well...James is into deep, dark places and at first I thought maybe an alleyway, but then...I asked myself if there was anything deeper and darker than an alleyway, and immediately I came up with...the sewer!" she explained, knowing Grissom would think her theory was outlandish.

"Go ahead...but Bonnie has to stay here...how many of you are going?" Grissom asked, looking at the clearly offended look on Bonnie's face.

"Nick, Neleh and I...and, Griss' right, Bonnie...you should stay here..." Marah explained. "I'll call you with any info, ok?" she touched Bonnie's shoulder, and after seeing the look on her face, looked at Grissom, as if to say 'just let her come...'

"This is my theory, can I please go?" Bonnie begged. "I wanna see Paul when we get there...I don't want to have to wait..." she clapped her hands together, and pleaded to Grissom.

Grissom flashed Marah an annoyed look, but sighed. "Since it is your theory, I suppose you can go..." he picked his glasses back up, and stood up. "But I'm coming too...and Bonnie, as well as the rest of you...need a bulletproof vest. And, I'm also calling Brass and O'Reilly..." he took out his cell phone.

"Ok, Griss," Marah nodded to Grissom. "Remember, Bonnie...this is just a theory, so if it doesn't check out, don't be too upset...because it _is_ a good theory..." she encouraged her friend, feeling happiness for the first time in hours.

"I know, thanks for reminding me, though..." Bonnie followed Marah and Grissom to suit up. "Is someone gonna go get Nick and Neleh?"

"We already figured it out..." Neleh explained, taking her bulletproof vest out of her locker. "We figured...working with psycho's? Yeah...definitely bulletproof vest time..." she rushed to the car.

After they changed, they all headed to the car, where Nick and Neleh were already waiting. Grissom ousted Nick from the driver's seat, which caused Nick to oust Neleh from the passenger's seat. "Cram into the back with Marah and Bonnie...you're tiny enough..." Nick laughed, watching Neleh pout.

~~

Greg awoke to a sharp pain in his head. "What the?" he asked, sitting up.

"Morning, sleeping beauty..." Paul watched Greg sit up, and laughed a little. "Nice to have some company of the...non-evil...kind."

"Paul? Whoa...where are we?" Greg asked, looking around. "And what is that smell?" he sniffed a little, smelling something that smelled like rotting eggs and excrement. "Are we in the..."

"Don't ask me...I have no idea..." Paul shrugged. "What happened to you, anyway?"

Greg looked curiously at Paul. "What do you mean?"

"Take your hand and place it on your forehead...then, look at it..." Paul instructed Greg.

Greg hesitantly obeyed. "Ow! What the? Oh...man!" he looked at his hand, and saw blood dripping from it. "Lovely...I remember what happened now. I came to an intersection, and my breaks were messed up...so I reached for the emergency break, and that was also broken..." he rolled his eyes. "So, I swerved, and when I got outta my car...I heard this freaky sounding voice..."

"That would be James...or his little lackey...Nigel Crane..." Paul sighed, then started to worry about Marah. "Was Marah in the car with you?"

"Whoa...wait a sec...did you say Nigel Crane?" Greg asked, starting to panic.

"Yeah, why?" Paul shrugged. "He seemed harmless..."

Greg laughed. "Yeah right! Nigel Crane? Harmless? Oh man...he stalked Nick...and tried to kill him!"

"Oh...uh oh..." Paul ran a hand over his hair. "Man...we're in trouble, aren't we?"

"Not necessarily...Bonnie and Marah were working so hard on this...we'll be outta here in no time..." Greg tried to be optimistic. 

"Oh...ok..." Paul nodded. "Oh man...what's Marah gonna do when she finds out you're here, too?"

Greg started to worry, too. "Oh...jeez...just hope that she comes up with something before she has to call me..."

~~

Marah was staring out the window. "Shouldn't we have run into a sewage drain by now?" she asked, watching the side of the road. Her heart practically stopped, and the color drained from her face. "Oh...my God...Grissom..." she called Grissom's attention. "Stop the car! STOP THE CAR!" she screamed.

"What? What's wrong?" Grissom hit the breaks.

"What's wrong, Marah?" Bonnie put a hand on Marah's shoulder.

"That's...is that...it is...oh my God!" Marah shoved Bonnie's hand off her shoulder, jumped out of the car, her face white as a ghost, and rushed to a junked heap on the side of the road. "You guys...this is Greg's car!" she started shaking uncontrollably, then looked in the window. "And...he's not in it..." Tears filled her eyes, and she fell to a sitting position on the ground.

Bonnie gasped, and ran up to Marah. "Marah?" she touched her shoulder. "Are you ok?" she asked, knowing the answer.

Nick and Neleh joined Marah and Bonnie by the car, and helped Marah up. "Marah?" Neleh wrapped her arms around her friend, in a gentle hug.

"James will pay for this!" Marah automatically assumed that James had something to do with it, and looked into the woods. "He better not be hurt, or I swear it..."

Nick sighed. "I may as well stay here...and investigate the car..." he looked at Neleh. "You gonna stay with me?"

Neleh nodded. "You three continue to the sewer...we'll stay here..."

~~

__

Suddenly I'm standing at your door,  
And the steps don't feel like they did before  
The radio's playing loud, but it's not our song  
Suddenly I'm all alone  
(I skipped a part here...so sue me...)


	11. Chapter Ten: Pieces

****

Chapter Rating: R  
**Chapter Title: **Pieces – _Inspired by a Hoobastank song…  
_**Author's Note: **_I'm gonna end this story within the next two or three chapters…_

~~

The personal vendetta had just increased in triplicate for Marah. Not only did James have her brother, but he also had her…well, whatever Greg was. She stared out the window of the Chevy Tahoe, and waited for a sewer hole. "We should have run into a fucking sewer hole by now…" she cursed, but then jumped. "Griss! Sewer! Stop!" she pointed frantically and as soon as the car came to a half-stop, jumped out, and ran to the sewer hole.

"Marah! Wait for Detective Brass and Sergeant O'Reilly…" Grissom yelled. "We can't go down there without backup…" he ran up behind her and grabbed her arm. "Believe me, I'm as anxious as you are…" he then shut up, seeing Marah's sheer doubt of that statement.

"My brother and my…uh…friend are down there with my psychotic father, and some other…really freaky crazy guy, Grissom…you expect me to just sit here, and let them die?" Marah was practically screaming, but decided against that. "If anything happens to either of them…I swear…"

Bonnie walked up beside Marah, and sighed. "I'm as anxious as you are…believe you ME…but we can't go down there unprotected, Marah…" she comforted her. "Just think of it this way…if we go down there without Brass and O'Reilly we're gonna be of no use to Paul or Greg, because we'll be as good as dead…"

~~

Greg watched for any psychopath or non-psychopath, while Paul finally got some sleep. His mind was racing, with thoughts of his car crashing, thoughts of Marah, thoughts of being safe again. He wondered how close Marah, Bonnie, Nick, Neleh and everyone else were to finding them. He looked at the ceiling, and then down to the floor. _Damn, this Stenbeck guy is a pure…I wanna say genius…but…no, I won't give him that much credit. _His eyes widened, and then he cupped his hand to his ear. "Did I just hear…are those SIRENS?" Greg shot up, and started to violently shake Paul's shoulders. "Paul! **Paul**! Wake up!"

Paul groaned. "What the hell do you want?" he complained, and scoffed when Greg put his hand over his mouth. He attempted to mumble out a, "What the fuck do you think you're doing?" but it came out more like "Whadafugouhinkouooing?"

"Shut up!" Greg yelled. "Listen!" he pointed to the ceiling, and uncovered Paul's mouth. "Sirens!"

"Oh! Whoa! Make as much noise as humanly possible!" Paul stood up, and started to yell. "Talk like this!"

"WHO DO YOU THINK FIGURED IT OUT? AND WHERE DO YOU THINK WE ARE, ANYWAY?" Greg asked, obeying Paul's suggestion.

"SOMEWHERE UNDERGROUND, MAYBE, SINCE THE SOUND CAME FROM THE CEILING?" Paul suggested, looking around. "PLUS THE FACTOR THAT THE WALLS ARE ALL MADE OF ROCK…THAT WOULD BE LOGICAL!"

Greg laughed at all the yelling. "SOUNDS LIKE AN EPISODE OF SURVIVOR IN HERE!"

Paul laughed too."YOU ATE THE LAST PIECE OF…uh…RAT! DAMN YOU!"

~~

Marah looked down the sewer. "I'm going down first…because if James is down there, I really don't want any of you to get hurt…" she started down the ladder, not waiting for an answer from Grissom, O'Reilly or Brass.

Grissom followed her closely, then Brass, Bonnie and O'Reilly. (**Author's Note:** The following description came from Parasite Eve I, my favorite Playstation game…) The sewer was darker than they thought it would be. Some sort of off-green colored water ran down in between the two walkways. The walls were made of some sort of gray rock. Slate, Marah assumed. The walkways were pretty narrow, about one foot, and the waterway in the middle was about two feet long. Their walk was accompanied by the sound of a light trickle of water.

Bonnie stopped. "Guys…listen…" she stopped them for a second. "Do you hear that?"

Marah listened too. "Yeah…I do…" she nodded. "Sounds like yelling…maybe it's workers, either that, or we're getting close…" she pulled her gun out, just in case.

Grissom, O'Reilly and Brass followed her lead, and pulled their guns, too. "Miss McKechnie…did you bring a gun?" Brass asked her.

"Oh…uh, yeah, sorry…this is all new to me…" Bonnie pulled her gun out.

Marah held her hand up, signaling for everyone to be quiet. "Listen…do you guys hear that?" she asked, referring to a clatter, and two deep voices talking.

"You mean, aside from the yelling we heard before?" Grissom asked.

"I hear it…the clatter…" O'Reilly nodded. "We need to split up…there's a four way intersection up ahead…" he explained.

"Well…there's an uneven amount…one of us will have to go alone…" Bonnie panicked. "Which one of us…"

Marah took a deep breath. "Me…I'll go left, Grissom and O'Reilly, go straight, Brass, you take Bonnie right…"

"No way…we're calling for more backup…Marah, you're not going alone," Grissom shook his head ferociously. "We'll go back topside, and then call Warrick…but you're not going alone."

Marah narrowed her eyes at Grissom. "Why?"

"I hate to say it, but I agree with Grissom, Marah…" Bonnie nodded. "It's not that I don't wanna find Paul, because I do, but you can't be facing off against your father without backup…"

Marah took a deep breath. "I guess you're right…" she held back tears.

~~

"Find anything, Nick?" Neleh walked around the car and touched Nick's shoulder.

"Yeah...someone tampered with Greggo's breaks..." Nick pointed to the break wires. "They were cut..."

"Oh my God!" Neleh gasped. "That's terrible!" she peered over Nick's shoulder, and saw the cuts in the break wires. "Maybe we should dust those for prints, since this car is pretty much unsalvageable..."

"Yeah...but I think I already know who did this..." he sighed, and shook his head. "Either Stenbeck or Nigel..."

Neleh pointed to the road, and sighed. "They called for more backup...that was Warrick, Sara and Harmony... and they're pulling over."

"What is this, suddenly a team effort?" Nick asked, following Neleh to the rest of their team.

"It's Nigel and Stenbeck, so, yeah...it is a team effort..." Neleh explained.

~~

"DO YOU THINK THEY'RE STILL ON THEIR WAY?" Paul asked Greg, starting to go hoarse.

"DUDE, YOU SOUND LIKE BRITNEY SPEARS ON CRACK..." Greg laughed. "AND YEAH, THEY'RE STILL COMING...THEY WOULDN'T JUST LEAVE US HERE WITH SEÑIOR PSYCHOPATHO AND MONSIEUR Aliéné..." (**Author's Note: **_Aléiné is 'insane' in French...to those of you who aren't familiar with French, that is._) he laughed at his nicknames for James and Nigel. "WANNA HELP ME COME UP WITH MORE NICKANMES?" he asked Paul, with a quick laugh. "JUST TO PASS THE TIME, AND ALL..."

"SURE...WE CAN CALL MY FATHER...EL DIABLO..." Paul suggested.

"COME ON...BE A LITTLE MORE ORIGINAL, PAUL!" Greg shook Paul's suggestion off, with a little laugh.

"WE CAN CALL HIM...LARRY THE DUCK..." Paul shook his head. "AND NIGEL...FRANCES THE TURTLE..."

"NOW THAT'S ORIGINAL..." Greg laughed, hearing footsteps approaching.

~~

Now, the investigation 'party' had increased. Not only was it Marah, Grissom, O'Reilly, Bonnie and Brass, but now they had Harmony, Warrick, Sara, Neleh and Nick with them. They came to the four-way intersection, and split off into three groups. Marah, Warrick and Harmony went left, Grissom, Sara, Bonnie and Brass went straight; and Neleh, Nick and O'Reilly went right.

Sara stood in front of their group, with Grissom behind her, Bonnie behind him and Brass pulling up the rear. "Bonnie...be prepared to pull your gun at anytime..." Sara warned her, looking back to see that she already had it out. "Or...you could already be prepared..." she forced a small laugh, disregarding the fear coursing through her veins.

Bonnie nodded. "Marah briefed me on everything while we were still topside..." she explained, looking professional as could be.

Grissom pushed Sara behind him, and peered around the corner. "You can't relate with people like James Stenbeck as well as I can..."

"You say that like it's not a bad thing..." Brass stated. 

Grissom rounded the corner, and pulled his gun, just in case. "I don't think I've seen a sewer twist and turn so much..." he told his followers.

"Me either...just goes to show you that Vegas really is twisted..." Sara made a joke.

Bonnie laughed a little. "Guys...is that a two-way intersection up ahead?" she asked, using her free hand to push some black hair behind her ear.

"Sara, Bonnie...go straight...Brass and I will go right..." Grissom commanded.

"Aye-aye, captain..." Sara nodded, as they split off.

~~

Neleh clung to Nick. "This is almost like a horror movie..." she peered around the corner. "Six CSI's, two police officers, one lab tech and one civilian, searching for two lost friends..." she started talking like a movie voiceover guy.

Nick narrowed his eyes and Neleh. "Neleh...this is very real...you of all people should know that..."

"I do, I'm just..." she watched O'Reilly pull his gun, and jumped, automatically pulling hers too, which caused Nick to pull his. "What? What do you see?"

"Nothing, Detective Snyder..." O'Reilly explained, rounding the corner. "It was a 'just in case' scenario..."

"Oh...right...of course..." she gripped Nick's arm tighter.

~~

Harmony and Warrick walked a couple steps behind Marah. "Do you think they're ok?" Warrick whispered, trying not to let Marah hear his doubting voice.

"I hope so..." Harmony watched Marah act like this was all a ballet to her. "Maybe she should become a cop or something...she looks like this is her forte..." she peered around the corner. "Uh...Marah, what are you doing?" she asked Marah, who was knelt onto the ground, seemingly examining something.

"This is Paul's..." Marah picked up a watch. "I gave it to him on his twentieth birthday..." she explained, handing it to Harmony. "Hold onto that for me?" she asked.

"Sure..." Harmony held onto the watch, then started to follow Marah again.

"You guys..." Warrick looked at Harmony, then Marah. "The paths split..."

"You guys go straight...I'll go left...and I'll radio if I need anything," Marah nodded, signifying that she didn't want any argument about it.

"But Grissom..." Harmony started to argue.

"No...I'm going this way..." she pulled her gun, and rounded the corner.

"Let's follow her..." Warrick nodded to Harmony, who nodded in agreement.

~~

__

Suffocating, sinking further each and every day  
Barely treading water, knowing I will not give up


	12. Chapter Eleven: I'm Ok

****

Chapter Rating: R  
**Chapter Title:** I'm Ok – _Inspired by a Christina Aguilera song  
_**Author's Note:** _Hmm...I'll end it either this chapter or next one...and at the end, I'll ask if I should do a sequel...DON'T answer me until then, though. Muchos gracias to **Dawn** for the review._

~~

Marah turned around, infuriated. "Why the hell did you guys follow me? What if the one way we didn't go is where they are! You guys!" she cried. "Oh...my God..." she hugged Harmony. "I'm sorry...I didn't wanna yell at you...I'm so sorry...I just..."

"It's ok...I understand totally..." she hugged Marah back. "You're going through emotional hell right now...it's ok, Marah..."

"GUYS! GUYS, there you are!" Bonnie's voice came around the corner. "We found Stenbeck and Crane...Stenbeck sent me back to get Marah...and Crane has everyone else hostage now, too...with the exception of Brass and O'Reilly, who are holding Stenbeck at gunpoint..." she gasped for breath.

"What? How did he manage that?" Harmony asked, completely surprised.

Bonnie took a deep breath and started to explain. "Stenbeck threatened to have both Paul and Greg killed, wherever they were, unless they followed him. So, Nick, Grissom, Sara and Neleh did. They told me not to come, and then Brass and O'Reilly sent me here after Stenbeck refused to talk for them..." she told them.

"Did you find Paul...or Greg? Where are they?" Marah jumped up. "Oh my God!" she looked at Harmony and Warrick. "Keep looking around here, please? Just in case Paul is back here...it's not like criminals to stick right by their hostages, is it? Greg is with him? Oh my God, they're together, I'm so relieved..." she started to ramble. "What if one of them is hurt?" she panicked, then looked at Harmony and Warrick, and seeing that they were waiting for a turn to speak, she shut up.

"We'll keep looking..." Warrick nodded. "Go on..."

Marah took of in a steady run with Bonnie. "Did they say anything about Greg? Or Paul?" she asked, hopeful. "Like, if they were hurt or something?"

"No, not yet...they refuse to talk unless you're there..." Bonnie explained, leading Marah to where they were. "Right around this corner..." she told Marah, standing a step or two behind her.

Marah stopped running, and took a deep breath before she turned the corner. She put her hand on her gun, in case she had to pull it at a moment's notice. "Here goes nothing..." she told herself, as she walked around the corner. "You wanted me, James?" Marah choked back fear.

"Oh, how you've grown, my darling daughter...you look just like your beautiful mother..." James pretended to be caring. "Yes, I wanted to see you...I take it you've heard about your brother? _Someone_ has a big mouth..." he looked at Bonnie. "After I put the gag order on you..."

"What, you expected her to keep quiet? No, not likely, James...where is Paul? And where is Greg?" Marah demanded, eyes narrowed, and standing her ground firmly, in spite of the fear coursing through her body.

"Imperative, aren't we, my darling daughter? Maybe I'll tell you, maybe I won't!" James taunted.

Bonnie opened her mouth to speak, but Marah hushed her. "Don't say anything to him, Bonnie...you'll give him the satisfaction of having bothered you..." Marah explained with a growl in her voice, her free fist clenching.

"It's sweet, Rah-rah...the way you defend your big brother like this?" James poked at Marah, trying to rile her even more. "But, I'm not saying anything with these two officers around...they and Bonnie have to go find Harmony and Warrick..."

Sergeant O'Reilly refused. "No! We're not leaving Detective Ryan here with you..."

"Detective Stenbeck, you mean?" James asked, grinning maniacally. "She is my daughter, you know? Oh, that's right, my precious Barbara had you and Paul drop the Stenbeck from your name, like I was some kind of vermin or something..."

Marah snarled. "That would be the most accurate description I've heard Barbara give..." She and Paul never called Barbara mom, or James dad.

"You're funny, Rah-rah..." James laughed, approaching her slowly. "Rid us of these charming officers, and I'll take you to your brother and friends..."

Marah's eyes pleaded with Brass, knowing somehow that he was easier to convince than O'Reilly. "I can handle him, Brass...please, let me do this?"

Brass glanced at O'Reilly and nodded. "Ok..." he looked back at Marah, then signaled for Bonnie to follow them. "Come on, Miss McKechnie...we're going to go find Detectives Brown and Munson..."

O'Reilly glanced from Brass to Marah. "If you need anything, scream as loud as you can, ok?"

Marah nodded in understanding, and watched her last witnesses walk away. She had just gone from scared, to terrified to death. She was alone with James, and he could do anything to her, without anyone to witness it. "Ok, James...where are Paul and Greg, and everyone else?" she asked, prepared to pull her gun back out at any moment.

James put his hand on Marah's shoulder, and started to lead her somewhere deeper into the sewer. "Follow me...I'll take you to them..." he flashed the infamous Stenbeck grin.

Marah was disbelieving, but followed in case for once, he was telling the truth. James rambled on and on about father daughter bonding time, and how they needed more of it, while Marah went into another world. _What if Paul is hurt? What if Greg is hurt? What if they're both hurt? What am I going to do? I should have at least compromised to have someone come with me...I am so scared. _She looked over her shoulder, and her eyes widened, then narrowed. Warrick and Harmony were following her, closely followed by Brass, O'Reilly and Bonnie. She mouthed the words, "What are you doing?" but hearing James ask a question, immediately looked back at him.

"Right dear?" he asked, grinning.

"I'm sorry, I missed that last part, dad..." she painfully spat out the word dad, because calling James dad was like a punishment to her.

James looked a little irritated. "We need to spend more time together, I said...I hadn't seen you since you were eleven, and it was starting to bother me."

"Oh...uh, yeah..." Marah played along. "Definitely...how did you and Nigel meet up, anyway?" she acted like she was interested, to get information.

"You think I'm going to give a CSI that information? I'm not that stupid, darling..." James gave Marah an off glance, and shook his head.

~~

Greg was very hoarse. "DO YOU THINK THEY'RE STILL LOOKING?" he sounded like he was getting laryngitis. "IT'S BEEN AWHILE...WHAT IF LARRY AND FRANCES GOT THEM..." he stopped.

"NO WAY...THEY'RE TOO CLEVER...AND MY SISTER IS TOO QUICK FOR HIM...THEY'RE STILL LOOKING," Paul yelled a little softer, because he was starting to get a scratchy voice.

"I have a plan..." Greg stopped yelling for a second, and sounded like he was whispering. "Are you willing to listen?"

Paul nodded, trying not to strain his voice anymore.

"How about we save our voices for if we hear footsteps again, and we talk in normal voices now?" Greg suggested.

"Ok..." Paul nodded, then brought up the question that was on everyone's minds. "How do you feel about my sister?" he asked, with a grin, knowing the answer.

Greg scoffed, and mouthed the words, "Can't talk...sore throat..."

Paul rolled his eyes, and leaned against the wall. "Do you think...I mean, of the little bit you saw," he began. "That Bonnie feels about me the way I do about her?"

Greg nodded. "Definitely...that girl is crazy about you. When we found out that you were missing, she was hysterical with tears..." he sighed, remembering the look on Marah's face. "So was Marah...I should've never left the lab that night..."

"You know what? Don't blame yourself, because I think if I had listened to Marah and come back the first time she told me something about a James dream, or a freaky phone call...all of this could have been avoided," Paul let his head hang, and followed Greg's sigh.

"I don't think we should blame anyone, aside from the obvious...which is James. We all know Marah is gonna blame herself, but we have to conspire to stop her from that, ok? Bonnie, too..." Greg nodded.

"Definitely..." Paul nodded in agreement.

Greg looked inquisitively at Paul, and then asked, "What are your plans for after this whole ordeal is over with? Are you going back to Oakdale?" he leaned against the wall, the side effects of almost a week without sleep starting to kick in.

Paul shrugged. "I mean, Oakdale holds a lot of good memories, but at the same time, some of them aren't so good...I'd love to stay out here, to be closer to Marah and all. I think that'd be great...but affording a place would be a problem."

Greg nodded slowly in understanding, then leaned his head against the wall, thinking. _That's a great idea..._was the last thing to go through his mind before he got his first sleep in six days, which was very brief. The second his eyes closed, he was awakened rudely by the slamming of a door, and voices. "What the hell is going on in here...whoa..." he looked around, seeing Grissom, Sara, Nick and Neleh. "Hey, everyone..." he looked from them to Paul, whose face held pretty much the same look his did.

Paul looked around. "Let's see if I remember this properly...I know Leh...Grissom, Sara and Nick?" he asked, glancing from person to person.

Nick nodded. "That would be us..." he felt strangely calm, regardless of the fact that Neleh had the death grip on his arm.

Neleh looked up at him. "How can you be so calm? What's going on? What am I missing?" she asked, filled with confusion.

"That's a simple question..." Grissom went into Professor mode, and answered Neleh. "Look at how calm Greg and Paul are. If they're this calm, and they've been here as long as they have, we'll be fine."

Sara rolled her eyes. "Thank you, Professor Grissom..." she laughed. "I wonder where Warrick, Harmony, Marah and Bonnie are..." she stood near the door, waiting.

~~

__

Bruises fade, father but the pain remains the same  
And I still remember how you kept me so afraid  
**Strength is my brother for the love he gave**  
Every morning that I wake, I look back at yesterday  
And I'm ok

**In the actual song, the line is 'strength is my mother, for all the love she gave' but I changed it to follow the situation**


End file.
